Ralph Moore

Ralph Moore, 85, died Monday evening at his home in Harrisville. Moore is survived by his wife, Anne, and four nephews, Hugh MacMaster (Barbara), Dr, John MacMaster, (Dr. Jacqueline Fitzgerald), Brian MacMaster (Karen), and Don MacMaster (Dr. Tina Rossi). He was preceded in death by his father David, mother Reba, stepmother Madeline, and sister Gweneth. Born March 13, 1925, Ralph Moore was raised in Dayton, Ohio, a block from the campus of Dayton University. His formative years were shaped by his proximity to this picturesque Catholic university, situated high on a hill overlooking the Miami River. He loved the university for its first-rate academics, the neat and well-maintained grounds, and the virtues of Catholicism and public service that have animated campus life there for 160 years. These themes characterized Ralph’s life as well. He graduated in 1944 from Patterson Comparative School, enrolled at the University of Dayton, and was drafted into the US Army in 1945. Stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, he trained as a medic. After completing his first tour, he joined the Reserves and later enlisted in the Air Force. He received a commission as a second lieutenant and worked as a hospital administrator. He was stationed at Wurtsmith AFB in October 1951 when he met Anne MacMaster, a Harrisville native working in the office of the base commander. Anne was the first person Ralph met at Wurtsmith and they had their first date on New Year’s Eve 1951. His first impression of his future wife? “Wow!” Ralph was sent to England in February 1952. When he returned, they were married at St. Anne Church in Harrisville in April 1953. After the reception, they took a train to New York City and boarded a prop plane for the 17-hour flight to London. Their extended honeymoon tooling around England was a highlight of Ralph’s life. It inspired a lifelong interest in the English royal family, European artifacts, collectibles of all kinds, and a near insatiable itch to travel widely and explore historically interesting places where the accommodations were first class, the food was good, and the company included Anne. After returning to the states, Ralph earned a Masters degree from Ohio State University and began a civilian career in school administration. When Anne’s mother grew ill in 1965, Ralph and Anne moved back to northern Michigan. Ralph went to work for Harrisville Tool as an office manager and Anne began her career in the Alcona County Clerk’s office. Ralph’s Harrisville years were characterized by community involvement. He was a board member of the Alcona Community Schools, a Harrisville City Council member, a board member of the Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Intermediate School District, and was honored by Governor John Engler for 30 years of meritorious service on the Department of Social Services board. He was a fixture at St. Anne Church and a Grand Knight with the Knights of Columbus. More informally, Ralph was unofficial ambassador at the state park in Harrisville which adjoined his home, and he was a friend of the needy and homebound up and down South Huron Avenue. He loved to be involved in the daily incremental activities of good citizenship. By inclination he pulled for the underdog and thought it was important to give back to the community. He did so with a grin and sly wit that made him fun company and an interesting person to be around. He was devoted to Harrisville, his family and friends, and most of all Anne, his wife of 57 years. Late in life as his mobility waned, Ralph distinguished himself by his capacity to endure and overcome. His essential nature was revealed as a man who stayed true to the things that matter in life—family, friends, community, faith. Over the Christmas holidays surrounded by family and friends, the sun warm on his face as he lay next to the picture window overlooking Lake Huron, his features split with the wide grin his friends and family fondly recall. “I am so fortunate,” he said. Visitation for Ralph Moore will be Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. at Gillies Funeral Home in Lincoln. A Knights of Columbus rosary will be at 7pm. Funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at St. Anne Church in Harrisville. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ralph Moore, please visit our flower store.