Jean Elsie Moore

Jean Elsie Moore of Camarillo, Calif., died June 5, 2014, after a brief illness. She was 90 years old. Jean was born Feb. 1, 1924, to Irving and C. Bertha Nehls of Charles City, Iowa. She had two brothers and two sisters. After graduating from high school, Jean left home and met A. Harry Moore while he was in the Army. They married in 1944 in Ephrata, Wash., and lived there briefly. Eventually they moved to Harry's home state of New Jersey, settling in the small town of Dayton after a few years in Edison. In 1966 they moved their growing family to New Hampshire; then to Connecticut. Jean was a homemaker for many years, and loved cooking for family and friends. She liked gardening, and worked for a time in a plant nursery. Favorite activities included fishing, camping, and playing card and board games. She also enjoyed the rare visits to see family in Iowa. In 1969 they headed west to California, living in Fillmore for many years. Jean and Harry took up rock-hounding in the desert, and they enjoyed an occasional trip to a Bullhead City casino. The couple also traveled to Asia several times on Harry's business trips. Jean tried her hand as a small-business owner while in Fillmore, managing a retail plant shop, and later a macrame shop. She babysat her granddaughter Jennifer on weekdays for several years, as well, and welcomed family gatherings in their beautiful backyard. After her husband died in 1990, Jean moved on her own to the family cabin in Three Rivers, obtained in memory of their son Tim. A favorite routine there was joining friends for morning coffee in a local restaurant. Jean relocated to Morro Bay in 2006, with her small poodle, to live near her brother and his wife. After he died, Jean moved to a senior-living facility in Camarillo to be close to her surviving sons and their families. She crafted beautiful needlework blankets that are treasured by those she gave them to. Jean is survived by son Hoyt and Jennifer Moore, son Don and Helen Moore, and daughter Lona and Al Pierce; six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, daughter-in-law Linda Moore, and sisters-in-law Annette Nehls and Joan Reilly. She was preceded in death by her husband Harry (Sr.), sons Tim and Harry, and siblings Carol, Robert, Francis, and George. A private family service will be held.