Rose Moore

In the early morning of August 10, 2023, Rose Moore’s long struggle came to an end…about a week before her and husband, Frank’s, 62nd anniversary and almost two months after her 85th birthday. Rose valiantly fought Parkinson’s Disease for more than 15 years.

After their sons, Vincent and Brian, finished high school, she decided she would go to college too. Upon graduating at top of her class at Eastern Shore Community College, she and Frank made a temporary, year-long assignment move to Greenbelt, MD where she enrolled at the University of Maryland-College Park, majoring in Biology and getting top grades in classes with students less than half her age. Upon returning to the Shore, she completed her Biology degree at Salisbury University, and was inducted into the Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society.

Rose was then employed as a temp by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, doing wildlife walks and environmental education activities for visitors. Subsequently, she obtained permanent employment with Accomack County Cooperative Extension and the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District, where she mentored Accomack’s Envirothon teams as the S&WCD education director.

In her “spare” time, when she wasn’t at work or caring for her orchids, making quilts, gardening, canning, buying and selling items for her “Pasttimes” antiques & collectibles booth, etc., she managed to write “Among Friends-Recipes and Reminiscences of a West Virginia Family,” which was sold at the Tamarack Cultural Center in Beckley, WV, and whose title was a play on her maiden name of “Friend.” 

Rose was born and grew up in Ivydale, WV, and upon graduating from Clay County High School, moved to Williamsburg, VA, where her brother, Art, and wife Merida, were living. She was employed as a secretary in the architectural department at Colonial Williamsburg (CW). Several years later, when the new Dow Chemical plant in adjoining James City County opened, she became a secretary in their Public Relations department. And that’s where she met Frank, a college student who was working as a lab technician on swing shift. 

Not long after, Rose was recruited for the position as secretary to the head of the architectural department back at CW. She readily accepted the promotion but took a lot of good-natured ribbing from her CW colleagues that she went to Dow “to find a man.”

Rose and Frank were married on August 19, 1961, in Charleston, WV as Frank began his senior year. Upon his graduation from VCU, a pregnant Rose accompanied Frank to Hampton, VA where he went to work for NASA Langley Research Center. Their first son, F. Vincent, Jr., was born on November 13, 1962, followed 19 months later by son, Brian, on June 21,1964, one day after Rose’s 24th birthday…and which that year also happened to be Father’s Day. Rose was always the consummate planner!!

As the daughter of Levy and Clemmie (Rogers) Friend, Rose (Ann Rosalie) was predeceased by her four elder brothers, (Eugene, Clyde, Lewis, and Arthur) and a younger sister, Linda. Rose is survived by husband, Frank; sons, Vincent and Brian; daughter-in-law Susan; granddaughters, Lauren and Meghan (Smith); mother of great-grandson, Oliver; and grandsons, Johnathan and Michael. 

A service to celebrate Rose’s life will be held at Onley United Methodist Church on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 11:00 a.m., with The Reverend James Canody officiating. 

Should friends desire, contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Eastern Shore Community College Foundation, 29316 Lankford Highway, Melfa, VA 23410 (https://es.vccs.edu/about/escc-foundation/donate/), or to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131 (https://parkinson.org).

Memory tributes may be shared with the family at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com.

Arrangements by the Williams-Onancock Funeral Home.

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