Riley Moore
January 31, 2018
James Riley Moore, 92, of Columbus, MS passed away Thursday, January 25, 2018, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, Columbus, MS. A Roast and Toast Memorial Celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2018, from 2:00- 4:00 PM at the Columbus Art Council, 501 Main Street, Columbus, MS hosted by his family. Mr. Moore was born on June 10, 1925, in Greenwood, MS; the only child to the late Dr. James Riley Moore and the late Ada Florence Ford Moore. In addition to his parents, Mr. Moore was preceded in death by his wife, Dr. Mildred W. Moore, who was retired from MUW. After graduation from high school, he attended Culver Military Academy (Culver, IN), and then was a civil engineer honor graduate from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. Following graduation from the Academy, he served in the Navy during the Korean War. Mr. Moore’s career path then led him to be named as the assistant to the Vice President of American Bosch, a position he held for more than 35 years before he retired in 1993. He then worked as a consultant for Advanced Environmental for the next few years. Mr. Moore was exceptionally active in the Art Council as well as the Community Theater in both Columbus and Starkville, MS and was very well-known throughout the golden triangle area. He was an avid reader and devoted many hours to projects at the Columbus Library, in downtown Columbus. His love for reading, where he learned facts and figures, lead to his innovative invention and being responsible for the design and construction of the fishing trolling motor which is still used by anglers worldwide. He worked on pilgrimage lighting and did the special effects for stage productions in the Columbus and Starkville area and at MUW. Mr. Moore was a world traveler and loved to go visit new places. Mr. Moore is survived by his daughter- Shaula Moore Hailey (Bubba) of Olive Branch, MS; grandchildren- Josh Hailey (Brittany) of New Orleans, LA and Jordan Hailey Bryan (Chase) of Madison, MS; great-grandchildren- Hailey Bryan, Carson Bryan, and Caden Bryan. Honorary pallbearers will be Josh Hailey, Chase Bryan, Tony Dunser, Glen Bontrager, Russell Poole, Debbie Mahoney Nettles, Bill Andrews, Joe Stockwell, and Sam Phillips. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Baptist Hospice-Golden Triangle, 2623 5th Street North, Columbus, MS 39705, St. Andrews Episcopal School, 370 Old Agency Road, Ridgeland, MS 39157, or any animal rescue shelter or society of donor’s choice.
