Lyle Kingston Moore

September 13th 1922 saw the arrival of Lyle Kingston Moore on the dining room table of his grandmother’s house at 217 S Green Street in Spokane to his proud parents Marshall William Moore and Helen (Breen) Moore. After his mother died when he was 2 years old he was raised by his father with help from his grandmother Dora Moore and his aunts Lottie and Eva, then eventually by his stepmother Rzella (Edwards) Moore.

Lyle's education started at Sheridan grade school, then at Libby Junior High and one year at North Central High School. In 1935 Lyle saw the arrival of a brother Richard (Dick) Eugene Moore. Before his sophomore year of high school the family moved to San Diego where his father found employment at Rohr Aviation manufacturing airplanes. Lyle graduated from Point Loma high school in San Diego in 1940. During the summers he worked on commercial fishing boats. With money earned from fishing he took flying lessons at the rate of $6 per half hour. His great grandfather Lucius Luther Wing was a Civil War veteran and helped found the city of Rockford in southeast Spokane County. There, as well as at other eastern Washington areas, he learned to fish and hunt from his father. Besides family his great passions in life were hunting, fishing, flying and eventually golf. After World War II arrived he joined the Army Air Corps and trained as a pilot. During this period of training he married his lifelong partner Shirley Jean (Ziegler) Moore on June 17th 1944 and they celebrated 69 years of marriage in 2013. About a month after their marriage they saw the arrival of his youngest brother Michael (Mike) Everett Moore. At the end of the war he was a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps training future military pilots including Chinese pilots.

After the war Lyle remained in the Army Reserves flying from Felts Field while working, attending Gonzaga College and raising a family. His first son David Marshall Moore was born in 1946, his daughter Carol Ann Moore in 1947 and finally his youngest son Gregory Brian Moore on Christmas day in 1965. In 1951 he was recalled by President Truman for the Korean War. From 1953 until 1956 the family lived in Germany and France while he was a pilot flying C119 Troop Carrier aircraft. At the end of 1956 he transferred to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho where he flew B47 bombers for 9 years. In 1966 he trained in Tennessee to fly C130 aircraft and then served in Southeast Asia flying in and out of Viet Nam. In the Spring of 1967 because of his experience flying Troop Carrier aircraft he was tasked with mission planning and leading the largest combat paratroop drop since World War II in an operation named Junction City. In his aircraft he carried Air Force General Moore who was commander of US air operations in Viet Nam as well as General Dean who was the commander of the 173rd Brigade of paratroopers and was the first one to parachute from his aircraft over the combat landing zone. After his service in Southeast Asia he was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana where he was the base operations officer responsible for the base airplanes and helicopters as well as the maintenance of the runway, the tower, customs and flight operations. He retired from the Air Force in 1969 at the rank of Lieutenant Coronel having flown Stearman and T6 trainers, C45, C47, C119 and C130 cargo planes and B25, B29, B36 and B47 bombers. During his 26 years of military service he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal along with many other medals. In retirement he received a degree from Spokane Community College and built several homes and duplexes. He and Shirley loved golf and both became accomplished golfers, traveled through the Panama Canal, to Hong Kong, Ireland, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, and spent many winters as snow birds in Arizona.

On November 30, 2017 after more than 95 years of a long and well lived life Lyle ascended back to heaven. He was preceded in death by his wife: Shirley Moore in 2013; daughter: Carol Moore; brother: Dick Moore, as well as his parents and aunts and uncles. He is survived by his sons: David Moore, Greg Moore (Heather); grandchildren: Karissa Barker (Colin), Stefan Moore (Kenzie), and Bryce Moore; brother: Mike Moore (Newtie) and sisters-in-law Mary Moore and Viola Ziegler; brother in-law: Vern Ziegler (Mary) as well as many nieces, nephews and their children and grandchildren. Finally he is survived by his great granddaughter Caroline Jean Barker his sweetheart and the light of his life the last four years. Funeral services will be held at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home at 5100 W Wellesley on Saturday December 16 at 11:00 a.m. followed by interment, with full military honors, at Fairmont Cemetery at 12:30 p.m.