John Moore

March 27, 1924 - February 3, 2022

John Halbert Moore, 97, of Charlotte died February 3, 2022. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, WWII veteran, mentor, and friend. John Moore would have told you that he lived an unexceptional life. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Born on March 27, 1924, in Iredell County, NC, to the late John and Lillian Moore, John was just one year old when his parents sought their fortunes in the Pacific Northwest in the apple orchards of Leavenworth, Washington. Ten years later and with much sadness, John helped his newly-widowed mother drive their Model A Ford back to North Carolina, with little brother Jerry in tow. When an accident in tiny Kemmerer, Wyoming, put his mother in the hospital for nearly a month, John took on the responsibility of watching out for his little brother while she recovered. His life’s work of taking responsibility, caring for others, and always trying to do the right thing had begun. John transitioned well from life on the apple orchard to life on the family farm in the community of Cool Spring, North Carolina. Always a good student, he graduated from high school at the age of sixteen and began looking for work. After stints as a school bus driver and a “traveling store” salesman, he finally took his mother’s advice: “Get a job with a good company and stick with it.” He joined Southern Bell Telephone company (now AT&T) and began a career that would span more than 40 years. But not without a significant interruption. Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the U.S. entered World War II. John yearned to be a fighter pilot, but he lacked the required college degree. When he heard the government was opening flight training to non-college graduates for the first time, he signed up, took the tests, passed, and was on his way. After rigorous flight training, John realized his dream of flying the “Bent-Wing Bird,” the F4U Corsair. When he was assigned to VF-85, a fighter squadron on the USS Shangri-La in the Pacific Theater, he was among the youngest Navy fighter pilots in WWII. On July 25, 1945, after strafing a Japanese kamikaze airfield, John’s plane was hit and he was forced to land in the Sea of Japan, a precarious position. His rescue was even more precarious and one of the first successful air-sea rescues out of the Sea of Japan. The rescue plane, a Martin PBM Mariner, had overheated and could not stop to make the pick-up. As it taxied swiftly across the water, John had to grab a slippery rope and hang on for dear life. On the third pass, John’s grip held and he was dragged through the water to eventual safety. He continued to fly combat missions until the end of the war. On August 27, 1945, John flew Combat Air Patrol over the ships that were making their way to Tokyo Bay for the signing of the surrender documents. Job well done. In 2017, author and historian Kathleen Shelby Boyett chronicled John’s service in a book, Flying Fearlessly. After the war, John returned to North Carolina and found love with a charming high school teacher, Beth Howard. They married on June 6, 1948. John and Beth shared a life dedicated to their three children, their Trinity United Methodist Church community, and their shared belief that life was about serving others. When cancer attacked Beth in late 1989, John cared for her every need. When a hospital bed was moved to the house for Beth, John put a single bed next to her, on call 24 hours a day. Beth passed away in early 1991. They were married 42 years. Amazingly and wonderfully, John found love again seven years later with his sweet Mary Benoy, a fellow church member and widow. They were married on February 15, 1998. They shared a warm and caring life focused on their combined families and their church community for nearly 24 years. They enjoyed traveling and attending WWII reunion events that took them all over the country. When Mary’s health began to fail, John again gave his all to care for his beloved wife. Mary passed away less than a day after John. As John’s son Dennis said, “Ever the gentleman, Dad got to Heaven first so he could hold open the gate for Mary.” If you ask anyone about John Moore, here are the kinds of things you will hear: He was a good man, a gentleman. A true Christian, clearly living by the tenet of “Love one another.” He was humble, kind, unassuming. He would help anyone out, any time, because that was the right thing to do. He was calm, kind of quiet. He didn’t do ANYTHING fast. He was highly intelligent and sometimes surprised you with his sharp wit. He could tell a corny joke with the best of them. He was independent and self-sufficient --- and sometimes a little stubborn – which is probably why he was able to be independent and self-sufficient until the day he died. He was a GOOD SOUL. And he lived an EXCEPTIONAL life. John’s survivors include his son, Dennis Moore and wife Lynn of Terrell, NC; daughters Patsy Moore Talbott and husband Fred of Virginia Beach, VA; and Betty Moore-Hafter and husband Charles of South Burlington, VT. Also surviving are four grandchildren and four (with one more soon to come) great-grandchildren: grandson John Austin Moore, his wife Karson, their daughter Collins and their son-to-be John Mark (imminent arrival!) of Apex, NC; granddaughter April Talbott Strickland, her husband Steve and their daughter Sydney and son Dylan of Virginia Beach, VA; granddaughter Hannah Hafter and her daughter Jade Hafter-Dodson of Boston, MA; granddaughter Laney Hafter and her husband Will Adams of Barre, VT. John also had the joy and privilege to be Papa John to his wife Mary’s wonderful children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, 6230 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216 or www.trinityumcofcharlotte.com/online-giving; Doctors Without Borders, https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org; Operation Smile, https://operationsmile.org; or a charity of your choice. John gave to many charities, particularly those providing direct help to those in need. A joint funeral service for John and Mary will be held at 3 pm Thursday, February 10, at Trinity United Methodist Church with burial following in the church cemetery. Visitation will be at 2 pm in Trinity’s Family Life Center. The service can be live streamed on the Trinity United Methodist Church Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/trinityumccharlotte. James Funeral Home of Huntersville is serving the family.