James Philip Moore

March 13, 1916 - January 31, 2015

James Philip Moore ""JP"" was born March 13, 1916, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the first of eight children born to James Philip Moore, Sr. and Grace Crawford Moore. The family moved to Texas shortly thereafter and eventually settle in Amarillo, Texas, where JP graduated from high school. He traveled to Grand Junction to visit his Aunt Vera and Uncle Hamer Stephens who lived in Uravan, CO.

JP loved Colorado and was able to get a job at the US Vanadium Corporation in Uravan, and eventually became Chief Chemist of the Union Carbide Research and Development Laboratory in Grand Junction. His career found him in Uravan, Rifle, and Grand Junction where he finished his career of 39 years. He met and married his life mate, Muriel Evans, in Uravan where she also worked. They dated and danced their way to being sweethearts, and JP proposed on the famous swinging bridge.

Muriel and JP were blessed with three children, Jeanne (George) Parkhust of Westminster, CO; Larry (Susan) Moore of Golden, CO, and Becky Hearty of Boulder, CO. Muriel passed away on January 29, 2013, at the age of 95.

JP was especially proud of his work with the Manhattan project. The Vanadium Corporation in Uravan produced the high-grade Uranium that was used in the project. He is considered a Cold War Patriot and has papers to that effect.

JP is also a 50 plus year Mason and a member of Scottish Rite, York Rite, the El Jebel Shrine Club, and the Elks Lodge. He was known for his fishing and hunting skills, and enjoyed all that Colorado has to offer. He and Muriel were able to travel in their retirement years, taking cruises, going to Taiwan, Europe, and throughout the USA and Canada. They were members of the First United Methodist Church in Grand Junction.

He is survived by his three children; ten grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, February 7, at 10:00 a.m. at the Callahan-Edfast Mortuary in Grand Junction. Burial will follow with a Masonic tribute at the Orchard Mesa Cemetery in the Masonic section.

Memorial contributions can be made to Western Colorado Shrine Club, P.O. Box 2501, Grand Junction, CO 81502, or to the Masonic Temple, 2400 Consistory Court, Grand Junction, CO 81501 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gjsentinel/obituary.aspx?n=james-moore&pid=174052574&fhid=20357#sthash.H8B98tjw.dpuf