Harold John Moore

Harold and his wife Alice Jeanette (Jo) retired to San Antonio in 1986 after 34 years of service with Exxon Corporation. They were able to enjoy a full retirement. Harold was an avid tennis player, golfer, and loved building furniture for the family. But his favorite hobby was carving and constructing scale model airplanes (built 400+). He would build airplanes for anyone that showed interest, especially for pilots and servicemen. His grandchildren were special to him and he was always teaching them about life.

Harold was born in Fort William, Ontario and grew up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It was from Moose Jaw that Harold and Jo embarked on a lifetime of adventure. In 1952, upon getting married and also accepting a job with Standard Oil of New Jersey, they were posted to Barranquilla, Colombia. It was where their first two children were born. In 1960, the family moved to Altamont, Illinois where their third child was born. In 1964 the family moved to Benghazi and then Marsa Brega, Libya. And in 1971, Standard Oil sent them to Lagunillas, Venezuela. In 1977 they were transferred to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Career success did not come easy. He spent eight years in Colombia cutting seismic lines through dense jungle. In the Colombian jungle he lived in tents with a crew of drillers, blasters, workers, cooks and equipment operators. His work shifts were two months on (in the jungle) and two weeks off with his family. He was hunted by rebels, negotiated with native groups, was on guard against strange and dangerous wildlife, and traversed wild rivers, swamps, mountains and forests. He suffered from malaria and dysentery. He performed his job in a newly learned language. The hardship he went through for his family was nothing less than heroic.

In Libya, his mechanical and practical abilities were key to some major successes in his career. From checking oil wells for sabotage by terrorists, to production supervisor to some of the most prolific oil reservoirs/wells of that time, to loading tankers in record time, and averting production downtime in an exceedingly harsh working environment. In Venezuela, he managed all incoming oil from Lake Maracaibo into the Lagunillas tank farm and pipelines. In the process, he took time teaching his men how to manage the facilities on their own and was revered by them for doing so. This was not a common practice. In Malaysia, he managed a large group of platforms in the South China Sea. Here again, he was a favorite amongst his peers, especially with engineers.

Harold was the consummate people person, selfless and compassionate by nature, but firm when needed. He was always the first to step up and provide help and assistance to family, friends or strangers. He was a stranger to no one. He could walk down a street in London or Benghazi, or some small village in Venezuela and always seemed to strike up a conversation with someone he befriended. Often, it was a taxi driver, a doorman, a person down on their luck or an ex workmate. He always put smiles on faces and people loved being with him. He was a loving father, grandfather and great grandfather.

Harold was preceded in death by his wife Alice Jeanette, married 67 years, and survived by his three children, Brenda Etlinger (husband John), Robert Moore, and Russell Moore (wife Debbie); seven grandchildren (Courtney Cloud (husband Cole), Matthew Etlinger (wife Heather), Andrew Etlinger (wife Stephanie), Stephen Moore, Lauren Moore (fiancé Stephen), Austin Moore (wife Chelsea) and Christopher Moore (wife Jessica); and eleven great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, December 12th, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. at Wayside Chapel, 1705 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, Texas 78213.

Honorary Pallbearers will be his seven grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to Samaritan’s Purse to provide Christian Relief to a Hurting World (www.samaritanspurse.org).