Clary Funeral Homes, LLC


Linda Moore		Click to Enlarge Photo
*July 7th, 1945 - June 20th, 2025*
From:	West Plains, MO
Visitation:
Funeral:	10:00 am Saturday June 28, 2025 Many Springs Cemetery Alton, MO
Burial:	Many Springs Cemetery Alton, MO

Linda Jeanette (Wilburn) Moore entered this world on July 7th, 1945, as the first-born child of Floyd and Louise (Hayes) Wilburn on their family farm in Oregon County, Missouri. She passed away unexpectedly on June 20th, 2025, at the age of 79. As a child, Linda was immersed in the cultural traditions and lessons then common in the rural Ozark Mountains. Like her pioneering ancestors, she was instilled with a remarkable awareness and understanding of the natural world around her, particularly with respect to the rhythm of the seasons and the plants and animals of her surroundings. She was a quick learner and advanced at an accelerated pace through Nebo Elementary School. Around age 14, Linda's escort for a school event canceled at the last minute. A teacher asked fellow student Robert Moore if he would quickly run home, put on a suit and fill in for the absconder. Robert and Linda were introduced for the first time at that event and remained together through thick and thin for the next 66 years. They married on September 1, 1962, then left town with ten dollars Robert borrowed from the cash register in his mother's country store (which he returned...supposedly). The couple landed in St. Louis, rented a third-floor apartment in a gritty part of town and shivered through their first winter with no hot water and only a cook stove for heat. Over the next eight years, they had four children including, in order, Andrea, Steve, Aaron and Renee. Robert eventually began a 50-year career at McDonnell Aircraft while Linda opened an in-home daycare after the family relocated to nearby St. Peters. In 1979, the couple purchased a small farm south of West Plains and returned to the Ozarks to raise their children. Robert continued to build airplanes in St. Louis during the week, commuting back and forth to West Plains each weekend; an uninterrupted practice for the next 35 years. They also purchased the Learning Tree Child Care Center and Linda began a career that ultimately left an indelible mark on her community. When the business outgrew its limited space, Linda designed a state-of-the-art child care facility situated on 10 acres, complete with nature trails, an infant care unit, age-specific playgrounds and a miniature theater. Soon, she was caring for upwards of 120 children each day. Linda's work was physically and mentally demanding, but she just kept going. She got up early, chased after children, stocked the pantry, shoveled the snow, mopped the floors, trimmed the hedges, mowed the grass, kept the books and did absolutely anything else that needed to be done. By the time she retired after 41 years, "Mrs. Moore" had looked after, cared for, loved and protected thousands of children in our community. A few years after her retirement, Missouri State University - West Plains honored Linda with an Honorary Associate of Arts degree for her commitment to the school and community. Linda spent what free time she had tending a large garden each summer, canning everything under the sun and monitoring the weather constantly. She faithfully tracked the number of foggy mornings in August to predict the coming winter's snowfall and when spring rolled around, she gave wide berth to any wildflowers or milkweeds found in the path of her lawn mower. All animals (except squirrels and poisonous snakes) were safe from harm while on her property. Linda loved a winter fire, sitting nearby while crocheting hats and blankets for newborn babies and fingerless gloves for mail carriers. She was always doing something and rarely was it for herself. The love and support she gave to her own children was also unending. When her youngest son revealed his half-baked plans to ride a 75-year-old motorcycle to the Arctic Ocean, she pretended it was a great idea and immediately pitched in to help. She stitched up waterproof bags to keep his gear dry, gathered a medical kit and waved him off with words of encouragement. A more thoughtful, caring, supportive mother has never existed. Robert and Linda's retirement years were happy and full of adventure. They bought a motorhome and wandered the country in all directions of the compass. Several summers were spent roaming the backroads and trails of the Rocky Mountains in their Jeep Rubicon with high school classmates Jim and Linda Hensley. They also completed several commercial construction and residential remodeling projects. Whatever the mission, whether work or play, Robert and Linda did it together. Linda saw and nurtured beauty and worth in the people and things around her that others often overlooked. The shape of an odd rock, the bend of a tree, the color of a flower or the generous gesture of a child or stranger are the sort of things that caught her attention and admiration. Linda's family included siblings Grant Wilburn and Emily (Wilburn) Kimbrough, two grandchildren, Carlee (Buckner) Aldrich and Luke Buckner, two great-grandchildren, Finlee and Bodie Aldrich, son-in-law Brad Vest and his family, and grandson-in-law Zayne Aldrich. Linda had an amazing recall of many ancestral lines and remained close to her extended family and friends throughout her life. Linda concluded her walk among us when her heart gave out, which is of little surprise considering the way she poured it into everyone and everything around her. It's been said the best way through a storm is straight through it and Linda met life's struggles head on. She never complained and remained cheerful in all weathers, always searching for life's silver linings. Forever missed, never forgotten. Graveside services will be 10:00 am Saturday, June 28, 2025 at the Many Springs Cemetery, under the direction of the Clary Funeral Home, Alton, MO. Memorial contributions may be made to the Many Springs Cemetery Fund or St. Jude.

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