Charles F. "Chuck" Moore

Husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and dear friend of many, Chuck was a career pilot serving 20 years in the Air Force, retiring at the rank of Lt. Col. With a great love of art and music, he was a talented painter and sculpture, spending many years of his retirement creating stunning pieces of art, leaving a legacy of beauty for family and friends.

He met his wife, Jo, at College of the Pacific (now University of the Pacific) in Stockton, California, where they both swam competitively. After marrying in 1950, he transferred to the University of California at Berkeley and joined the ROTC program to become an officer and a pilot. This choice in this career path was influenced by his rescue, along with his family (Methodist missionaries), from the Los Baños prison camp in the Philippines in 1945, where they were interred for 3 years. After witnessing planes flying over them dropping paratroopers, who saved them and 2,000 prisoners from death at the hands of the Japanese, Chuck wanted to fly. The heroes of Los Baños inspired and motivated him to pursue a career in the military.

Graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor of Art degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, he and his wife moved to Big Springs, TX, where he attended pilot training. Graduating from pilot training, Chuck and Jo moved every 6 months to a year during the early years in the Air Force, living in Texas, Florida, Georgia and Texas again. They lived in Japan for 3 years (son, Glenn, was born there), Smyrna, TN for 6 years and Little Rock, AR for 6 years before his retirement. During his Air Force career, he spent 10 years as an F-84F and F-100 fighter pilot and 10 years as a transport pilot flying C-130 aircraft.

Throughout his Air Force career, Chuck received several honors: the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Citation, the Combat Readiness Citation, the National Defense Citation, the Air Expeditionary Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Longevity Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

After retiring from the Air Force, Chuck, Jo and their 4 children moved to San Diego, California. Chuck returned to college to pursue his love of art, obtaining a Bachelor of Art in Sculpture from San Diego State University, followed by a Masters in Fine Art, Sculpture also from San Diego State University. He exhibited his work in galleries and exhibitions for 4 years, before diverting from artist to air plane builder. He spent 7 years building a Long EZ airplane for personal use. In addition to creating art and building an airplane, he was a fine carpenter, designing, creating and building many fine furniture pieces for their home over the years. He used his degree in architecture to redesign and remodel many of the homes they lived in throughout their many moves around the United States.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jo, of Escondido, California; daughter, Carole, and her husband, Charlie Burkhard, also of Escondido, California; his daughter, Gail Olson, and granddaughter, Samantha Olson, of San Diego, California; granddaughter, Tiffany Rohrer, and her husband, Chris, and their two daughters (Chuck’s great-granddaughters), Payton and Parker, all of Poway, California; daughter, Dawn Ponce, and her husband, Jay, of Yuma, Arizona; granddaughter, Melissa Conry and her two children (Chuck’s great-grandson and great-granddaughter), Dylan Winder and Hayden Winder, all of Yuma, Arizona; granddaughter, Nicole Clark, and her husband, Rob, of Yuma, Arizona; grandson, Kyle Conry of Yuma, Arizona; son, Glenn Moore, and his wife, Melissa, of Buffalo, New York; granddaughter, Erin Moore; grandson, Ryan Moore; granddaughter, Elizabeth Moore; granddaughter, Molly Moore; all of Buffalo, New York.

If you would like to send flowers, please call 1-877-894-0431, use family code 31525 or click on the FTD link to the right of the obituary