A note from Ed Moore, about his parents Milton and Nona.
My father passed away Nov. 22. He had a stroke about a week or so prior to his passing, and it was a blessing he went rather quickly. Mom died March 5 in her sleep. She had Alzheimer's for a 8 or so years, but it would come and go. But like all such things, it progressed. I suppose one of her blessings is that she became rather lucid a couple of days prior to her passing.
Dad was an only child, and so was mom. He was born in 1920 in Anaconda, Montana. Mom was born in Fargo, North Dakota. They met in high school in Butte, Montana, and participated in dances and their church youth group activities.
Dad served in the army during WWII. When they moved to Kensington, they made a lot of friends in the neighborhood of Anson Way and Eureka Ave. The Parkers, Ferreiras, Zettles, Cunninghams, Cox's, Newkirks, Greeps, and McCombers were chief among them in that area, but their friends also included the Spencers, Weldons, and many others who I can't recall at the moment. I know I'm leaving out some people and misspelling names unintentionally, and I apologize.
Dad worked on the Manhattan Project when they moved to Richmond after the war. The Richmond house preceded the one in Kensington. After that, he worked for the Atomic Energy Commission in the Berkeley office on Bancroft. Mom was a bookkeeper at a drug store on Telegraph and later for the Hotel Durant. One of my fondest memories is when we had water balloon fights. Mom would sneak outside, turn on the hose and squirt everyone, which of course would draw fire from those of us with any water balloons left. Other fond memories were when she and Janice Parker would take us to Stinson Beach to body surf.
Their friendship with the Parkers grew, and we went on many camping trips with that family in California, Nevada, Idaho and Montana. All in all, mom and dad struggled in their early life, but they always took care of my brother Steve, who is a retired law enforcement officer in Nevada, my sister, Nancy, who worked for AT&T, and lives in Mission Viejo, and me. I am a retired writer for newspapers and corporations.
My parents moved from Kensington to Mission Viejo, to be near Nancy, around 2011. I moved from the Bay Area to live with them and provide over night care in late 2013. They had caregivers during the day. My sister and brother and me made sure they had a good life all they way to the end. I'm sure they would want me to thank everyone for your friendships. I know you meant more to them than than words can ever express.
Please feel free to print this in the Outlook, and again, please forgive me for leaving out some people, and misspelling names. Please accept our sincere thanks for you friendship and love for them and us. So now our family turns another page, and we begin a new chapter in this book of life. Please say a prayer for my dad and mom. I'm sure they will appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me. Bye for now.