John A. Moore

December 24, 1931 - March 14, 2020

John Atkin Moore December 24, 1931 - March 14, 2020 John Atkin Moore died in Orlando, Florida on March 14, 2020 at the age of 88. John was born on December 24, 1931 in Jackson, Michigan to John Atkin Moore, Sr. and Evelyn (Bowen) Moore. He moved to Detroit, Michigan at an early age and attended the public schools there. His mother died when John was 12, and a few years later his father remarried. John graduated from Wayne State University with an A.B. degree and a Juris Doctor degree with honors. He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1956. Soon after graduation John entered the Army and served on active duty from 1955-1957 at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. While in Washington he met Barbara Jane Moore (no relation) of New Hartford, Iowa who was then employed by the Air Force. After John’s discharge from the Army and Barbara’s graduation from the University of Iowa, they were married. On August 8, 2019 they celebrated their 60th anniversary. After the Army, John was employed by the Chrysler Corporation Missile Division in Detroit, moving to San Diego in 1960 to serve as the West Coast Counsel for the Stromberg Carlson Division of General Dynamics. John was admitted to the California Bar in 1962. After various organizational changes in General Dynamics, John was appointed Division Counsel for General Dynamics/Electronics in San Diego. In 1965 John joined the Law Department of Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation in Oakland, California. He had many and varied legal assignments both domestic and international. In 1984 he was elected Vice president, Deputy General Counsel and Secretary of the corporation. He retired from Kaiser Aluminum in 1992. Throughout their married life John and Barbara were very active in the Church and in Bible study. They were long time members of the First Covenant Church of Oakland where they held many Church offices. Both John and Barbara were interested in history and genealogy, and in their retirement were active in the study of family history. They particularly enjoyed researching their New England and New Netherlands heritage. John was a long time member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the oldest and largest genealogical society in the county. He served the Society as a member of the Board of Trustees, and Council and in recent years as a Trustee Emeritus. John was also a member of many other historical and genealogical organizations, including the New Netherland Institute, the California Genealogical Society and the Sons of the American Revolution. John is survived by his wife, Barbara, his son William Bowen Moore, his daughter, Julia Anne Kerns, and his grandchildren, Alexander Okawa Moore, Mikaela Moore, Christopher Todd Kerns, Andrew John Kerns, and Katherine Mary Kerns. He was preceded in death by his son, Brian Edward Moore. Graveside service will be 10:30am Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at Oak Hill Cemetery in Hew Hartford, Iowa with fellowship to follow at the New Hartford United Methodist Church.