2013

My mother (Nyla Moore) created some amazing thread art after she retired.  Several of these are hanging in their home in Kingman.  Yesterday, as we were waiting for the Medicaid case worker, I took the artwork down from the wall one at a time so Mom could see the threading.  For the first one, she said: "Oh, that's beautiful."  I said: "You did this."  And she said: "I did?"  I showed her the lower-right corner where she had written "Nyla 80" in slightly darker thread.  Two of her pieces had won blue ribbons at the Arizona State Fair the only time that she had entered her art.  The judges could not decide which one was better so they gave both of them first prize.  It is sad that although Mom has had a wonderful life, she does not now remember much of it.  Yesterday she could still remember her name and say it but she could not write it as she did last week.  [JAM 2/7/2013]

Memorial for Nyla Maxine Moore - March 16, 2013 - Kingman Presbyterian Church - Kingman, Arizona
On behalf of my father, Homer Moore and my sisters, Betty Wolfe and Linda Hartman, I thank you for attending this memorial for Nyla Maxine Moore.  We especially thank all of the comfort keepers and the nurses who cared for our mother during the last three months.  My mother was born in Hiawatha, Kansas in 1924.  She lived with her parents James Orval Booth and Marian Margaret Pfister, her brother Jimmy, and her sister Alice in a living space above her Aunt Ida's restaurant.  Her mother worked in the restaurant.  Her father worked as a civilian cook for the army after World War I.  The Booths and the Pfisters were members of the Hiawatha Presbyterian Church.  The family did not have a vehicle until 1936 when they drove to California where Grandpa Booth got a job working for the Richfield Oil Company.  The family lived in Hollywood near the Western Picture Studio.  Mom attended John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, California and graduated in 1941.  She was one of six senior students to receive the "Citizenship Honorary Life Membership" award.  Her first job was as cashier for The Broadway.  She later worked at the refreshment stand of the Hollywood Bowl.  During World War II, Mom worked in the billing department at Acme Fast Freight.  After the war, Kathleen Booth, the wife of Mom's United States Air Force brother, Jimmy introduced her to United States Navy Seaman Homer Lee Moore at The Pike amusement park in Long Beach, California.  Homer had been assigned to the USS Maryland battleship in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.  Homer and Nyla were married on April 20, 1946.  They lived with family in Lynwood, California and later bought a house in Norwalk, California.  Homer went to work as a Teamster truck driver and Mom stayed home to raise three children: Jerry (born in 1947), Betty (born in 1948) and Linda (born in 1958).  Mom helped us with our homework; she was active in PTA; and she enrolled us in dancing classes, bowling leagues and Sunday School at the Norwalk Presbyterian Church.  Mom made sure that we completed our education and that we were ready for the outside world.  At home, she would wash clothes and hang them in the backyard to dry in the sun.  Then, she would bring them inside and iron clothes for the whole family including Dad's boxer shorts and handkerchiefs.  Mom also made clothes for us on her Singer sewing machine.  She loved to have fragrant flowers in the yard, including carnations, sweet-peas and snap-dragons, even though she suffered from hay-fever allergies when the family lived in Southern California.  The family always ate dinner together and Mom would usually have a freshly-baked pie or cake ready for dessert.  I also remember that Mom would make foods like noodles and potato chips from scratch.  When the children were established in school, Mom went back to college to learn real estate sales.  She worked for great grandfather Eugene Schall at Orr & Day Realty in Norwalk.  When Mr. Schall died, Mom studied hard to obtain her real estate broker's license so she could become the manager of the office.  In 1973, she was president of the Women's Council and was named Norwalk-La Mirada Board of Realtors "Woman of the Year."  She served in various board positions and received the "Certificate of Honor" for her work as the full-board second vice president in 1974.  Mom & Dad retired in the spring of 1974 and moved to Dolan Springs, Arizona where Dad built an A-frame ice cream parlor on the road to Lake Mead.  They lived in the house trailer behind the store.  The business was eventually converted to a cafe and then rented to other businesses.  Mom & Dad then moved to Oklahoma where they purchased the former property of Grandpa Moore.  They raised goats & chickens, and grew fruit trees, watermelons and various vegetables.  For a while, they owned property in Arizona and Oklahoma.  They traveled back and forth between states until they decided to sell the Oklahoma property and stay in Arizona.  In 2000, they sold the Dolan Springs property and bought their current home in Kingman.  Mom had many hobbies and she was good at all of them.  In addition to baking, sewing, gardening, bowling, and volunteer work at the VFW, Mom created some amazing artwork with thread.  She won two blue ribbons for her art at the Arizona State Fair in the only year that she entered.  Mom & Dad also became rock-hounds in retirement.  They prospected for decorative rocks, tumbled them and created pieces of jewelry and some beautiful outdoor displays.  Mom also loved to collect miniature houses with small pieces of furniture that she found in yard sales and hobby shops.  She was constantly reading books on all topics and she loved card games and puzzles.  While Dad was working, Mom handled all of the details of our lives.  She paid the bills, attended school meetings, wrote letters to out-of-state relatives, remembered everyone's birthday, and cared for many of our elderly family members.  She was always there to help with any family problem.  Thank you, Mom for everything you did.  You were the nicest, most generous and most loving person we have ever known.

I tied my lowest golf score today with an 83 at Los Amigos in Downey, California.  I had only 23 putts and one-putted every hole on the back nine.  Every putt was going in the hole as I made seven pars including a par-three sandie. [JAM 3/22/2013]

Our Bella (2008-2013) went to dog heaven today.  The house is sad and quiet now.  She was the smartest and most loving friend that anyone could have. She was a small female pug who seemed to be prone to internal problems.  From an early age, she learned to trade small metallic objects for treats.  There were times when I would return to my chair and find a nickel in my shoe.  Later she learned on her own to bring a pine cone back from her evening walk to trade for something good to eat.  She knew so many words and she seemed to follow our conversations.  Key words like "ride" or "bone" or the name of a family member or a neighborhood dog would get her excited in anticipation.  She was our greeter, announcing visitors walking up the sidewalk to our front door with her cute little howl.  She was always at the screen door giving friendly barks to dogs hundreds of yards away in the park across the street.  When one of us would return from a short trip, we were always greeted with enthusiasm at the front door with her happy dance and doggie kisses.  She was the most popular dog in the neighborhood, being friends with everyone whether they owned a pet or not.  For most of this year we have been chasing her ailments with antibiotics, steroids, etc.  We just could not cure her internal problems.  On Saturday she could not keep her food in her stomach.  On Sunday she would not eat or drink.  We made trips to the pet hospital for hydration and tests.  We were told that she was probably suffering from diabetes and anemia.  On Sunday afternoon she stood from her bed but fell over on her side.  Her walking had been unsteady but now she could not walk at all.  We raced her back to the emergency clinic where they ran more tests and eventually started a blood transfusion.  Through all of this, the pet hospital staff remarked about how cooperative Bella had been.  Halfway through the transfusion her heart rate dropped to 40 and the doctor called us.  Her little heart could no take any more.  We said goodbye and brought her home in a box.  We buried her today under the vegetable garden and planted some special flowers above her grave.  Her presence will really be missed by the entire family.  Hug your pets. [JAM 6/23/2013 and 6/24/2013]

I miss Bella laying between my feet with her head between her paws as I read a book or watch tv.  I still hear her walking down the hallway.  Now there is nobody to greet me at the front door when I come home.  This is going to take some time. [JAM 6/25/2013]

Yesterday we went to the Barkworks puppy store and saw a female pug who was born on May 1, 2013.  We did not leave the store without her.  Her name is Fiona.  That is a name we would have used for one of the boys if they had been girls. [JAM 7/9/2013]

Lorna's mother, Aileen Shrum died on November 22 after a short stay in Kaiser hospital, Downey.  A nice memorial was held for her at the Cerritos Senior Center.