Wilbur  MOORE

Wilbur was born Oct 3, 1923 to Josephine (Forbes) and Cecil John Moore in Cochranton, Pennsylvania,.
In 1930 Cecil is listed in the Denver, Colorado census living in a boarding house along with his sons Wilbur and Lionel. Also listed is the woman who later became his 2nd wife (Fern Jones) and her daughter Barbara. During the 1930's, Wilbur and his brother Lionel aka Larry, also lived with their mother, Josephine at Yosemite.
I have in my possession a diary that my father kept for just the first 2 months of 1937. In it he wrote, January 2nd - Learned to make fire. He was in the boy scouts at that time. He made a flour scoop for his beloved mother, a cookie cutter for his Aunt Daisy who worked on a boat on the Great Lakes. He wrote of making a braided strand for his toy gun holster, hiking, skating with his brother Larry and his sister Pat who 'is sure getting good on them', making model airplanes, one being the 'Taylor Cub', writing an Indian book, reading a book called 'Panther Magic', going to the movies every Friday night. He saw 'White Fang' and said he 'will always remember it as I liked it so well'. He also saw "Texas Rangers" twice. '"Last of the Mohicans" best picture he'd seen yet.' He sold what he referred to as 'books' being the Saturday Evening Post and The Liberty and he did quite well.
By the late 1930's, they had moved to California where they lived at 412 E. 21st St., Los Angeles, CA.
He went to Jacob Riis High School where he was on the track team and the football team. On June 14th, 1940 he took 2nd Place in the 4-Man 660 yard Relay.
At Polytechnic High School some friends signed the annual. My best wishes to Wilbur. Football star extraordinary and a great pal. signed Geronimo (leo) Another entry reads - To a swell guy & athlete. signed Art. Another reads - To a dear friend even though he is a flirt. signed Ruth Anne Montgomery LOL His diploma was issued June 1949, so he went back to school years later to get it.
Dad was a rebel rouser in his later years. A friend of his, Henry Wilkinson, told me the story of how he once got his nose broke in a bar brawl.
He entered in the U.S. Navy on Feb 13, 1943. His separation date was Feb 11 1946. He served on vessel YP594, USS LSH 159. WWII Victory Medal, Phillipine Liberation, American Area, Asiatic - Pacific Area. While in the Navy, he was stationed in Cleveland, Ohio. One night he and some of his buddies decided to jump the fence of his barricks. He stashed his coveralls in a bush outisde a bar where that night he met my mother.
They were soon engaged and on May 12, 1946 sent a telegram to his mother announcing that she had become a mother again. Dad had to work the next day, so their honeymoon was put off until 7 years later. My mom writes...In 1953 we went to Big Bear for a week end.
They moved from Cleveland, Ohio to California in 1951 driving their old Ford where they bought a 4 bdrm. home on .25 acre for $8450.00. It was on a corner lot. My mom always loved corner lots. The address was 403 E. 136th St., Hawthorne, Ca.
Dad worked as a water distributor for Sparklett's Drinking Water (the first established drinking water distribution company in the U.S.) located at 4500 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.

In 1964 we moved to Nevada City, CA where dad worked delivering water for Arrowhead Spring Water. Because he was having back issues, he became an agent for American National Insurance.. Then in 1965, we moved to Redding, Callfornia where he worked as an insurance salesman for Metropolitan Insurance Company. In 1971, due to his "exceptional sales and service records," he was sent all expenses paid to the Century Plaza Hotel, Century City, Los Angeles to confer with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company officials where he received 'The Salesman of the Year Award'. He was "among the top-ranking members of Metropolitan's staff" of 30,000 agents. He had the gift of the gab. Whenever we went somewhere, we would almost always see someone he knew.
An accomplished self-taught woodcarver. He was very talented. He could do anything he put his mind to. I remember he was always tinkering in his workshop making things for the family. We were rock and antique bottle hounds. Dad had this big rock saw, which he used to make jewelry, tables, lamps (so many beautiful things).
He passed away on April 28, 1998 at 2:40 A.M. Mom passed 2 weeks later on May 13, 1998 at Mercy Medical Center in Redding just a few hours after what would have been their 52nd wedding anniversary. Their funeral service was held on May 16th at Allen & Dahl Funeral Home. Dad's ashes were spread in Lassen Park, which was one of his favorite places and many times a family camping destination.