Gerald Eugene Moore Obituary
Gerald “Gary” Eugene Moore was born on September 15, 1945, in Hays, Kansas, to his father, Charles Eugene Moore and his mother, Ida Louise Moore. He passed away on December 17, 2022 in Garden City, Kansas. He attended Grades 1-12 in Oakley, Kansas and then completed a BS and MS in Art at Fort Hays State University. During his time there, he married Judith Kay Rasmussen on August 27, 1966 in Oakley. He taught secondary school art for one year in Wakeeney, Kansas before being drafted into the U.S. Army on June 24, 1969. He was assigned to the Americal Division as a Chaplain’s Assistant, 196th Infantry Brigade, with headquarters in Chu Lai, Vietnam. After his return home in December of 1970, Gary taught high school art in Hays while completing certification for school administration. In 1976, during his first year of working as a school principal, Gary and Judy’s son, Jason Errol Moore, was born. He worked as a principal in Centrailia, Ransom, and Montezuma, Kansas. In 1979, he entered the finance and insurance business in Montezuma and then Sacramento, California until his retirement in 2006. Gary had a wide range of interests which included hunting, fishing, golfing, painting, sculpting, jewelry-making, photography, ceramics, gardening, and cooking. In 2019, the Garden City Community College hosted a retrospective art show reflecting his work over the previous 50 years. He also wrote a book - The Journey Back - which depicts his time in Vietnam during the war as well his trip back in 2005 to discover the beauty and tranquility of the country that had blossomed since the destruction caused by the war. In 2007, Gary and Judy retired to Garden City, Kansas where they enjoyed being involved in the lives of Jason, his wife Angela, and their then two year old Lilly, who had him wrapped around her little finger. Friends and family will remember his big personality and his even bigger laugh. His crude language had a unique charm and he always knew how to bring humor to any situation. What stood out the most though, was his unconditional love and kindness for his family.
Gary was preceded in death by his mother, Ida Louise Moore, and his father, Charles Eugene Moore. He is survived by his loving family: wife, Judith Moore in Garden City, Kansas, son, Jason Moore in Garden City, daughter-in-law, Angela Moore in Garden City, granddaughter, Lilly Moore in Salina, Kansas, brothers, Larry Moore in Sacramento, California, Douglas (Lisa) Moore in Concordia, Kansas, and sister, Lana (Michael) Yarbrough in Elk Grove, California.
