Jimmie W. Moore passed away on Sept. 4 after a battle with cancer. His cele bration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at Millwood Baptist Church in Austin. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall.
He was born in Austin on March 13, 1947, the son of JC and Edna Moore. He grew up the oldest of six children in Rockdale. The family lived in Praesel Addition and the kids roamed the neighborhood on the family’s scooter, named “George.”
Mr. Moore graduated from Rockdale High School in 1965 and played on the football and baseball teams, as well as serving as the FFA president.
He spent six years in the U.S. Air Force, where he met his wife, Diana. There, he received his first electrical training and was part of a secret team monitoring nuclear weapons detonations, although he didn’t tell anyone that information until it was declassifi ed in 1984. He also ran a flight simulator for pilots and became fascinated with airplanes.
After serving in Colorado, Turkey, California and Lubbock, he returned with his wife and daughter to Texas. They settled in the Austin area and he apprenticed to become an electrician.
Jimmie worked as a member of the IBEW, helping to light up the expanding city. One of his favorite stories was standing on the University of Texas baseball field with legendary coach Cliff Gustafson. As the coach hit balls with a fungo bat, they gathered information to strategically aim lights to prevent dark spots on the field. He was always happy he got to be involved with a team and a school he loved.
Returning to work at Alcoa in Rockdale in the early 1990s, Jimmie used his electrical talents to help keep the plant operational. There are still electrical panels out there with his handwriting behind the door.
When he retired, the plant kept calling him back to work as an independent contractor. When he did a job, he did it right.
His truck was always filled with treats of some kind, whether it was cat food for the stray cats at the plant, dog treats for neighbor’s dogs or range cubes for his cows. Cows would see his truck turn into the gate and know that a treat was on its way. If they didn’t see him, a single “come on” would move them across the field.
He cared for people just as well as he cared for the animals he loved. To be honest, the back seat of his truck was filled with junk, but also carried every type of drill, screw driver and bolt. If you needed something, chances are he would say, “I probably have something in my truck.” He was usually right.
Although he joked that most things could be fixed with electrical tape and bailing wire, he always found the right part. He helped out countless people across four counties. He might let you buy him a Diet Pepsi in exchange for his services.
Jimmie is survived by his wife, Diana Moore of Cedar Park; his daughter, Sharon Kubicek; son-in-law Ryan Kubicek; his brothers, Bobby Moore and Doyle Moore; and his sisters, Janice King and Patricia Chernosky; as well as many loved nieces, nephews and cousins.
In lieu of f lowers, the family will be establishing a scholarship fund in his name.