Earl Moore celebrates 100th birthday
It was family that first attracted Earl Moore to move to the Tipp City area, and it was family members who helped to celebrate his 100th birthday recently, planning a special surprise birthday party with friends, family and other community members at the Tipp Center.
“It’s just a testament to what he means to people,” Moore’s granddaughter Cyndi McCarroll said before the party, which was held on Saturday, Aug. 8. “All the children are involved, and all of his friends and family, and he has no idea. He knows we’re doing something, but he has no idea.”
A great-great-grandfather, Moore currently has two children, two grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.
“Without my grandfather in our lives, I wouldn’t even want to think what our lives would have been like,” McCarroll said.
“The only hobby he had was fishing,” she said. “He didn’t go on vacations. He was a man who didn’t ask for a whole lot, and he was always smiling, and he lived to be present with his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, now.”
“No matter what, he was going to be there, and that’s what made him happy,” she said.
Longevity does run in the family, McCarroll said, but she credits Moore’s personal habits and his outlook for helping him to reach 100 years.
“I think one of the secrets of his life and longevity is continuing to move, and being happy in the little things,” she said. “He never stressed about a lot. He was not one who ever drank or partied; he was a pretty disciplined person. He just appreciated his family, and didn’t live under a bunch of stress.”
“He just didn’t let things bother him, and I think that is the secret to his longevity.”
Born at home in Sandy Hook, KY, on August 10, 1926, Moore was the second of nine children. He left Kentucky to join the Navy in 1944, serving in the Philippines and also taking fire during attacks that preceded the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, McCarroll said.
“He didn’t talk about it much,” she said. “He was in the waters around there, and taking fire.”
“He came home out of the Navy, and he was 20 years old,” McCarroll said. “He came to Fairborn, because his father had relocated to Ohio. That’s where he met my grandmother, Lydia Lewis; they got married on Nov. 23, 1946.”
In 1955, Moore took a job as a truck driver and heavy equipment installer with B.G. Danis, where he worked until his retirement in 1991.
“He was actually the last union man to retire from Danis,” McCarroll said.
In 1988, Moore and his wife purchased a home on Walnut Grove Road in Elizabeth Township, where Moore still lives today.
“He was married to my grandmother until she passed away on Oct. 16, 2016, which was just shy of their 70th anniversary,” McCarroll said.
“They had an incredible love between them,” she said. “He was like the perfect example of what a husband, man, father and grandfather should be. I never heard them argue or have unkind words; it was just beautiful.”
Moore is currently in great health, McCarroll said, and still remains exceptionally active.
“He’s still in great health,” she said. “Even after he retired, he has always remained active, and he still gets around.”
“He’s not had a lot of sickness,” she said. “He ate what he wanted in moderation, and loved his sweets, but he just never stopped moving, and that’s kind of the key.”
Asked about the secret to his longevity, Moore said he recommends keeping a good outlook and staying active.
“I am a religious person and believe in God,” he said. “And it has definitely shaped and affected my life.”
“Have faith in God,” Moore said. “It’s the simple things of family that matter the most; always be grateful, and don’t stress the small stuff. And most importantly, have a good attitude and keep moving.”
After 100 years, Moore said the biggest technological changes he has witnessed in his lifetime were the introduction of new communication devices, including phones and TV. The biggest social change he experienced was living in the Great Depression and having nothing, then living through the country becoming a prosperous nation, he said.
When asked about his 70 years of marriage, Moore also offered his advice for couples who are just starting out.
“Be true to your partner,” he said, “and always put each other first.”
Moore said the best thing about being 100 years old is being with his family, watching and being an active part of each generation growing up.
“I am so proud of my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, and I love them very much,” he said.
“He’s grateful for every little thing,” McCarroll said. “He is kind and easy-going; he led with kindness and love.”
“Where he came from, and what he and my grandma as a team accomplished; it’s the American Dream,” she said.
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