John Paul Moore being remembered as a man who cared
January 29, 2011
John Paul Moore during his days in the State Senate
By KELLY DANIELS
citybeat@bellsouth.net
There’s one quality Evelyn Moore of Starkville will always remember about her husband, John Paul Moore.
“He was a person of integrity,” said Mrs. Moore, who was married to him for 54 years.
Today is the first full day Evelyn will spend without her husband, who died at 1:25 a.m. Friday at Vickers Personal Care Home after battling pneumonia. He was 80 years old.
Mr. Moore was known for his eight-year service in the Mississippi State Senate, where he introduced bills to construct Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Humphrey Coliseum. Both were major game-changers for Starkville and the university, giving the area a boost in students, faculty and visitors.
Before his health began deteriorating, Mr. Moore committed himself to service, including in the armed forces in the Korean War, as a public defender, as a Paul Harris Fellow for the Starkville Rotary Club, as an active member of the Civitan Club and Gideons International.
In 2009, the Mississippi Bar honored him for 50 years of legal service. Mr. Moore was a familiar, friendly face to many in Starkville.
“He was a very caring person,” Evelyn said, looking at pictures of her husband standing next to former Mississippi Gov. William Waller, who signed the bills he introduced.
“He wanted people to do well.”
Mrs. Moore fondly remembers husband’s determination to help others with gestures such as giving a Gideon New Testament to a man in prison.
“He was saved,” Evelyn said. “The last I heard of him, he was preaching in Texas.”
Outside Mr. Moore’s public life, his favorite activities were spending time with his children and grandchildren, listening to one of his many records, fishing, going to church, gardening — enjoying life.
“We had a beautiful garden,” Evelyn recalled of their former home not far from Sudduth Elementary. And their life together was as rich as their garden.
“The Lord was good to us,” She said.
