Millicent Fox Moore, 93

Millicent Fox Moore, of Kalispell, "went home to heaven" at the age of 93, on Aug. 23, 2005, at Immanual Lutheran Home.

She began her life Feb. 20, 1912, by being welcomed into the loving family of Charles and Nellie Fox in St. Paul, Minn., joining her older brother, Warren. She often recalled many fond memories of the time spent with her friends and family throughout her childhood years in St. Paul and summers spent on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wis. Sadly, her beloved mother passed away when Millicent was just 14 years old, leaving her to assume responsibility for the household in addition to her studies. She graduated from Central High School in St. Paul and went on to study business administration at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Millicent began her extensive employment history in retail at The Golden Rule Department Store in St. Paul, quickly working her way up the corporate ladder. She decided to relocate on her own to Los Angeles in 1941 and worked for Bullock's Department Store in downtown Los Angeles, where she again quickly excelled and was often promoted.

It was in Los Angeles that Millicent met her future husband, Alvin E. Moore, and where they were married on Thanksgiving Day, 1942. Alvin was in the Navy, and the newlyweds were immediately stationed in San Francisco followed by Kansas City, Mo.

The couple was blessed with a daughter, Cheryl, and then a son, Terry. The family eventually returned to the Los Angeles area and settled in the suburb of La Crescenta, where Alvin became a mortician and funeral director at Forest Lawn.

While raising her children and being a homemaker, Millicent served as a Brownie Scout leader, a Cub Scout den mother, president of the Mother's Club in Job's Daughters, and was an active member and president of her P.E.O. Sisterhood chapter. She ultimately was a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood for 66 years and was a charter member of her chapter in La Canada, Calif.

Once her children were grown, Millicent decided to once again work outside the home. She first returned to college to earn a certificate in medical office assistance, which enabled her to work in a doctor's office and then as an admitting administrator for Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif. She worked for the hospital for 20 1/2 years and eventually retired in 1989 at the age of 78 1/2. In 1997, Millicent relocated to Kalispell to be closer to her daughter where she became an active resident of Buffalo Hill Terrace.

While still living in St. Paul as a young woman, Millicent began her lifelong pursuit of her passion for travel. In 1938, she took her first major trip to the Black Hills and Yellowstone National Park, and then in 1939 she traveled to Alaska. While raising her children, the family often took many road trips throughout the United States. After her husband passed away in 1973, Millicent once again decided to travel extensively, and during a period of 20-plus years visited most parts of North America, Europe and the Orient. Of all her trips, she felt that seeing the "Passion Play" in Oberammergau, Germany, and her visits to Spain and Portugal were her most memorable.

Millicent also enjoyed listening to the symphonies, sewing, quilting, politics, Bible study and scrapbooking of her travel memorabilia. Shortly before her 90th birthday, Millicent finally finished a beautiful quilt, which she had started when she was 18 years old. She also completed her memoirs by hand and presented them with love to her family at Christmas 2003.

Millicent was a gracious, vital and loving lady who was well ahead of her time and was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was deeply loved and will be missed terribly by her family.

She is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and Charles Harber, of Bigfork; son, Terry Moore, of Corvallis, Ore.; niece, Karen Fox, of Plymouth, Minn.; grandchildren, Steven Harris and Jennifer Harris of Bigfork, Thaddeus and Emily Moore and Shasta Kearns-Moore of Eugene, Ore.; stepgranddaughter, Julia Harber, and stepgreat-grandson, Dirk Harber, of San Diego.

A celebration of Millicent's life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, in the Buffalo Room of Buffalo Hill Terrace, 40 Claremont St., in Kalispell, with Peter Ramseth officiating.

The family suggests donations be made in her name to Hospice, Home Health Options, 175 Commons Loop, Suite 100, Kalispell, MT 59901.

Johnson Mortuary and Crematory is caring for Millicent's family.