Robert Jerry Moore Jr.'s Obituary
We celebrate our life with "Papa" Robert Jerry Moore, Jr. with deep gratitude and aloha in our hearts. He passed on to join his ʻohana in paradise on November 30 after having spent a wonderful day with his beloved wife "Tutu" Paulette Pua'a Moore and eating a favorite snack, bananas, and peanut butter. He is survived by his daughter M'Liss Hualani Moore, and his moʻopuna Hulali Grace Alford, along with son-in-law Devin Alford and soon to be grandson-in-law Koali'i Ladao. He also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews, by blood and affection, extended family members and friends whose lives he enriched with his generosity and understanding (albeit disguised under a very thin veneer of curmudgeonliness).
Our Papa was born in Honolulu on March 22, 1936. His childhood was challenging at times, and he would credit Uncle Dan Nakanelua for rescuing him and his sister Carol with numerous weekend and summer stays in ʻEwa and Hōʻaeʻae. Becoming a seventh-grade student at Kamehameha Schools (Class of 1953) was also a life saver for him, where he was a brilliant but uneven student; Papa would say that he got so many demerits that he probably weeded an entire hillside above the boy’s school working them off. It was there that he met his beloved Paulette (Class of ʻ52), whom he fondly recalled gave him his only lei at graduation. Right out of high school, he joined the navy and served on the Wahoo submarine. Besides enjoying his years as a sailor, Papa credited regular meals in the service for adding six inches and thirty pounds to his frame, so when he finished his navy stint, he was interesting enough to capture the favor of the beautiful and popular Paulette Puaʻa. They married in 1958 and would’ve celebrated their 64th anniversary in December 2022. In August 1960 when MʻLiss was staging her surprise premiere appearance (a month ahead of the due date) in the backseat of her grandfather’s new car, it was the ever-resourceful Papa who guided his daughter into the world--something he continued lovingly to do for the rest of his life. Working his way through school, Papa graduated from UH Engineering School and became a certified "P.E.", ("Professional Engineer" to us lay folk) and continued to keep his prized license active till the end of his life. He also received his MBA in Finance from Chaminade, which he believed gave him standing to opine on the superiority of engineers over finance people.
His favorite accomplishment? Being the greatest Papa of all to his lovely granddaughter, Hulali Grace, from the moment that she was born until the day he left us. Hulali had a power over him unmatched by anyone else: he quit smoking in his late sixties (after more than 50 years of this bad habit) because she had become upset after learning the dangers of smoking in school; he waited patiently every day after Childrenʻs House to pick her up, being careful to neither come too early (she liked to play with her friends) nor too late (heaven forbid if she were the last child picked up); and he headed the Buildings and Grounds committee at the Cathedral of St. Andrews just because she asked him to make her church pretty. In that role, Papa searched for the sources of leaks, painted walls, fixed the stained-glass windows, and fiddled with the many recalcitrant fish in the St. Andrews fountain that wouldn’t spout. And how did Hulali repay her Papa? By bringing her now fiancé, Koaliʻi, into the ʻohana, whom Papa so loved and enjoyed. Koaliʻi is an engineer and with Papa, enjoyed fixing stuff with lots and lots of discussion thrown in.
Papa had his health challenges over the last decade (Papaʻs words: "have the fun, pay the piper") but he was trouper throughout, bravely conquering lung cancer two years ago. He lived his last years in comfort at home as the patriarch of our family, enjoying his ʻohana and friends and his NY Times crossword puzzles done in pen.
We all loved him and will miss him for the rest of our lives. Mahalo nui Ke Akua for the precious gift of Papa in our lives.
Services for Papa will be held at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Honolulu Hawai’i on January 21, 2023. 9:00 Visitation, 10:00 Service, and 11:00 Inurnment.
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