John Stewart Moore passed away on May 16, 2026, at the Calvert City Convalescent Center in Calvert City, Kentucky. He was 95 years old.
John was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1931, to Walter and Henrietta Moore. The 1929 Wall Street Crash here set in motion a devastating global economic crisis, and Scotland was in the midst of it when John was born.
Scotland, as part of the United Kingdom, was brought into WWII when Britain declared war on Germany in September, 1939. John was 9 years old.
His childhood home sat a few blocks from the River Clyde. The industry on the Clyde had shifted to wartime military production, making the river a target for nightly German air bombings.
John had terrible memories of being rushed to the air raid shelter at night, and coming out in the morning to see houses of friends and relatives reduced to rubble.
With growing alarm, Britain made the decision to send thousands of children from vulnerable cities to rural areas. John was old enough to be sent with them. He worked on a potato farm and could recall some amazing stories from his time there, but he also carried the scars of his childhood throughout his entire life.
John had two younger siblings, William and Anne. William (Billy) still resides in Glasgow; Anne, her husband, and their five children moved to Ontario, Canada, where she lived until her death in 2025.
John was educated at St. Mungo’s Academy in Glasgow. From there, he entered a trade school, and chose to become a wood model and pattern maker.
After serving his mandatory two years in the British Air Force, he moved from his parents’ home to England to begin his career in the car industry.
He met his late wife, Patricia Kelly, in England, and they were married in her hometown of Arley in 1956. They had three daughters, Sharon, Annette, and Deborah.
Before making the United States their permanent home, they lived for a brief time in New Zealand. The girls thought they had a life filled with wonderful experiences.
John had a successful career in the auto industry in Detroit, Michigan. In the winter of 1982, his wife of 26 years became ill and died before the summer. She was 46 years old.
At the time of their mom’s death, Sharon had graduated from college with a degree in nursing, was married, and had a baby son.
Annette had graduated from college with a degree in civil engineering and was engaged to be married. Deborah (Debbie) was a sophomore in college. She put her education on hold for quite a long time. She married and had a daughter. When she returned to school, she graduated with a degree in Education, and continued to receive two Master's degrees in Education. John was so very proud of his girls and the women they had become. He never neglected to praise them when an opportunity arose.
John loved soccer and played from childhood into his 40’s. Then he took up golf and became addicted to the game. Simultaneously, he became a runner. At age 50, he began training and ran the Detroit Free Press Marathon at age 52, coming in right behind an older nun. He loved his golf most of all and played into his 89th year, still walking the course.
He loved to dance and sing, to tell stories of his incredible life. He loved to laugh, and he loved me. I was in the second half of his story, one that lasted 42 additional years until his death. It was not enough.
A fit, energetic lifelong athlete, John fell victim to Alzheimer’s disease in his early 80’s. It progressed slowly and viciously, stealing moments, days, and finally everything. He lost his sight to decades of glaucoma. He suffered many other physical problems, a tragedy of aging. His time had come.
He leaves behind a wife, four children, seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Filbeck-Cann Funeral Home of Milner & Orr is handling all of the arrangements.
There are no services scheduled at this time.
To share a memory or leave a message for the family, please visit John’s Tribute Wall at www.filbeckandcann.com.
