With his father Albert around 1955.
Circa 1978.
Circa 1966.
Circa 1958
Circa 1957
Circa 1958
Pomona, circa 1967
Circa 1971
With "Sonny", circa 1956
with Caryn, 1988
with Catherine, 1988
1988
Circa 1958
Circa 1959
Circa 1987
Circa 1942
1954
1954
Thank you, Uncle Al, for creating this. Grandpa Jim was so handsome! It's great to see pictures of him with the family, through all the years. I will never forget his smile and love of animals. I love you, Grandpa Jim!
ReplyDeleteHannah Bethany Grazian
Hannah, those are two things I remember too- especially his broad smile. - Catherine
DeleteJames Richard Moore loved * being in nature * inventing and designing * figure drawing * music * goethe * being a democrat * helping animals * holding babies * the color blue * the french language * tea with lemon and sugar * his brothers * the beautiful desert * dirt-biking * laughing * giving ....*
ReplyDeleteyesterday he went to sleep in his creator's arms.
~cameo
It’s been two days since I got the call telling me my dad had died. The call did not come as a surprise. He had fallen and broken his hip in July, and it had been a mostly steady decline since then; kidney failure, C-diff infection, increasing dementia and psychosis.
ReplyDeleteWe have a saying at our house: “People are complicated”. My dad was a perfect example of this axiom. He was really intelligent, he could be humorous, he could be charming, and he had a strong ability in art. Any yet at the same time he was completely unpredictable, often dishonest with people, and he seldom actually listened to you in a conversation. Being with him was mostly awkward.
A perfect example of how “complicated” my dad was is his house. He lived in squalor with several cats. This was his choice . . . over the years we tried without success to get him to move, but he would not. When I cleaned out his house in July, I discovered that this man who lived like this was a subscriber to Architectural Digest. The irony of seeing a stack of many years worth of AD in the midst of this squalor was palpable.
Obviously I can’t change anything about the mixed legacy my dad left, but I can use his life as a reference point for mostly how NOT to live life. He was “relationally poor” . . . a choice he made. He struggled to deal with and understand the evil in the world; a struggle made harder by the bizarre teachings of Christian Science (which of course is neither Christian nor science). We will never know what his life might have been like had he jettisoned that teaching.
He’s going to be cremated, so there will not be a gravestone on which to write an epitaph. But if there was, I think I would suggest this: “He did the best he could given his available resources.” My second choice would be: “Who knows what might have been”.
Al
Never thought that I would be glad to be alone on Thanksgiviing.This year I was relieved.Our Dad passed away the evening prior.In the midst of loss and sadness, my heart is so full .So much to be grateful for.We each got to have at least one meaningful and loving conversation with our Father in the weeks that preceded his death. Dad was almost overwhelmed with the love and caring.On Thanksgiving I tried to remember my best memories of Dad.Feeling like the queen of the neighborhood while riding in back seat of his motorcycle.Dad teaching me to ride my new Schwinn.Singing Danny Boy with my Dad in Pomona at the piano,our eyes leaking tears..That is how I will remember you,Dad.
ReplyDeleteAll my love,Lili
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn3OTOWkCAA
One thing I remember about Grandpa Jim was that he really valued whatever we made. If we made crafts and sent them to him, he would pull them out when we were in town. At some point, we had t-shirts made with our pictures on them, and he proudly wore them whenever he saw us- not at all embarrassed to be wearing them. I remember that it made me feel that what I made and gave mattered to him. When students give me jewelry they make, or a picture they're colored for me, I try to make sure they know that I value what they have given, too. I think that's part of Grandpa Jim's legacy that will live on. -Catherine
ReplyDeleteI have more thoughts about my Dad. My Dad loved and married a wonderful woman, Jan. With her parents Ken and Ella we found new ways to appreciate life — the music, wisdom, laughter, and deep devotion of Jan's spirit have nourished all of us. He forever regretted losing her. But she is still part of our lives.
ReplyDeleteNow that he is gone my mind has started imagining so many great things I wish that I had been able to share with him. Dad really appreciated life in its expressive forms — music, literature and the arts. But he also shied away from fully enjoying them as I am guessing he may have felt that he lacked "enough education" to join into dialogue. I wish I could have told him, "But of course you can join in, just because you are you!" That just being alive gives everyone the perfect right to create art or to voice an insight. How tragic that he didn't seem to feel good enough. I wish we could have gardened together, helping so much beauty to be born....that we had gone together to see a production of "War Horse," and then enjoyed a meal at a nice restaurant and shared thoughts about it....or that together we had gone to see "Finding Nemo" and eaten popcorn and listened to children's laughter filling the theater.
I remember my Dad forgetting himself sometimes....a time when he was simply one of the crowd who charged the field at Hannah's high school commencement, and then he danced like a kid to Offspring's "Come Out and Play" streaming from the cranked-to-the-max speakers. Any inhibitions had vanished that June evening when the sun was still shining in bright blue skies. Surrounded by ecstatic teenagers and proud families, everyone was celebrating and he joined in the dance of life. As if his essence might be free for a brief moment and there he was — the real Jim! It was a moment that meant everything to me. Thank you, Dad, for having that day.
~cameo
Thank you for putting this together Uncle Al, the pictures tell a great story about our grandpa. When I think of grandpa I am so grateful he brought gradma Jan into our lives, I also remeber him giving me the biggest teddy bear ever. I hung onto that bear for a decade. I also remeber visiting his home and being amazed at his home made potatoe chips and the stacks of newspapers and magazines.
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have known more about his life before being a grandpa.
Rest in peace.
-Danielle
It has taken me over a week to organize my thoughts, feelings and emotions, and the process has brought me to overwhelming feelings of gratitude.
ReplyDeleteJim trusted me with his precious children, when they were 4 1/2, just 6, and 9 years of age. I was only 21, but I was very ready to share his family and help him raise his amazing kids, in any way that I could.
I could not have children of my own, but somehow the biology/blood lines didn't seem to matter. I had a family of remarkable, talented, insightful, funny, brilliant and generous kids. And they shared their own kids and grand kids w/ me, as well.
The love and laughter we have shared, for lo these many decades, have been among the biggest blessings of my life.
Thank you, Lili, Al, and Cameo, for accepting me w/ unconditional love and affection. I adore you all!
thank ~you~ mom. like everyone, dad's life had peaks and valleys — his asking you to be in his life seems one of his optimistic peaks. those times we had with you (around the piano, camping, at the beach) gave us the happy days we needed to keep hope alive and growing.
Deletelove,
~cameo
What wonderful pictures of Jim Moore's life. He was one of the nicest and most loving persons I have ever known. Al, thank you for sharing these pictures.
ReplyDeleteDon Carnahan