Emmett "Shel" Moore

Emmett Shelton Moore was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 23, 1940, the sixth child of the late Smith and Gertrude Moore. He was predeceased by his brothers, Harvey and George and by his sisters, Doris Adams, Laverne Bins, Carole Clark, Sandra Burgess and Shirley Jackson. Shel, as he liked to be called, was born with a great curiosity about things, a spirit for adventure and was a natural leader and entrepreneur. As a child in the early 1950’s, the family lived with uncle Arthur Moore in his basement in Princeton Park a neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. Emmett, as he was known then, became the leader of the neighborhood children. He led expeditions into the surrounding woods and had the neighborhood children working for him in the various business schemes he would come up with. This would typify him for the rest of his life, one business venture or another. The family eventually moved to the west side, near Douglas Park, where he attended and graduated from Harrison high school. Emmett wanted to get out of Chicago at an early age and at around 17 years of age joined the U.S. Air Force, where he was sent to Texas for training and became a cook. He was eventually stationed in Michigan where he finished his service and was honorably discharged. Emmett loved flying and would even trade deluxe meals for flight lessons during his time in the Air Force. In his 20’s he learned how to fly and was licensed to fly single engine planes. Around 1965-1966, he joined the U.S. Army warrant officer program, where he was officially trained as a helicopter pilot and served as a combat pilot in Vietnam. He lived in several places throughout his life—New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Ohio and other places—and eventually moved back to Chicago where he met and married Deborah (Debbie) Burton August 2, 1997. After getting married, to be closer to his son Emanuel (Manny), the family moved to Mill Valley, CA with their daughter Robyn. Later, they lived in Richmond, CA where their second daughter Raven was born. Emmett always wanted the best education for his children. School district was #1 priority. To achieve this, the family moved to Vallejo, CA, and Fairfield, CA where their children excelled scholastically. He loved his dogs Snow, Tuxedo and Nacho! In 2016 the family moved to Indiana to be closer to the family and this is where Shel passed away on April 24, 2021. He was proud to say that the happiest days of his life were the years he spent with Debbie and his children, whom he loved greatly. His loss is felt by his wife Debbie, his daughters Robyn and Raven, his son Emanuel and grandson Isaiah. He is survived by brothers, Ronald Moore(wife-Carolyn), Kevin Moore(wife-Patricia), his sisters Joyce Lynnette Langford and Gylda Tobler (husband -Michael) along with scores of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was a one of a kind and will be surely missed! A visitation for Shel will be held on Saturday, May 1, 2021 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Chapel Lawn Funeral Home 8178 Cline Avenue Crown Point, IN 46307. Followed by a memorial service at 2:00 pm. Please share fond memories and expressions of sympathy with the Moore family on our website at www.ChapelLawnFunerals.com Due to the current conditions of Covid-19, masks are required for attendance at the funeral home.