Robert (Bob) Leroy Moore was born in Gordon, Nebraska to Mr. Charles Leo Moore and his wife, Mabel Helen (Wamsley) Moore, on 13 July 1933. He passed away December 15, 2023, at Gordon Countryside Care. He was the youngest of six children born to the Moore family. The Moore family has the distinction of being tied to the Van Buskirk’s, one of the founding families of Gordon. Bob attended Gordon Elementary and graduated from Gordon High School in 1951. He then attended a semester at a technical college, where he learned many mechanical skills. Bob then came home and worked for Ken Hull for a while.
In 1954, Bob was drafted into the U. S. Army to serve in the Korean War. He was separated from active duty in December 1955, after which he finished his duty for the remainder of his 8 years in the Army Reserve. Bob was in the infantry, where he served as a mail clerk and as a team leader for a machine gun crew. Bob also received training as a Marine Hull Repairman. He received an Honorable Discharge with the rank of SP3(T) (equivalent to current E-4, Spec 4 or Corporal). Bob has been a member of the Gordon American Legion Post #34 for a long time.
In 1957, Bob married Shirley Taylor. Together they had a son, Burdette (Bert / Spoody) Moore. The nickname “Spoody” was after the Russian spacecraft Sputnik. The craft took about 90 minutes to orbit the earth, and Bob said that’s about how long they could get him to sleep. In 1972 they divorced. Then in 1974, Bob married Amy Nichols, who brought three sons of her own to the marriage. Bob tried to raise them as though they were his own.
He worked for several area ranches in the Gordon area, including the Hull Ranch. Following the ranch work, he was hired at the Magowan Grain Company, where he worked until the company was sold to the Farmers CO-OP. He continued to work for them until he retired at age 70.
Bob didn’t have a lot of hobbies, but one that he dearly loved was fishing. A mention of the word and he would be chomping at the bit to go. That’s one thing he didn’t mind getting up early in the morning to do. His favorite lake was Shell, but Smith or Walgren would do in a pinch. Oh, then there was Cottonwood, and Merritt if he was feeling adventurous. Then there were a few trips to Lewis and Clark, you get the drift.
Bob is preceded in death by his wife, Amy Moore, his parents, all but one of his siblings, and step-son Steve Woodbeck. He is survived by his sister Doris Coder, son Burdette (Bert) Moore, stepsons Doug and Mike Woodbeck, and a number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews and nieces.