Robert O. Moe

1923 - 2015

Robert O. Moe
May 13, 1923 - May 12, 2015
Moraga
Bob Moe, stellar point guard, has died one day short of the age of 92. Not too much came up when googling our father's name--but "stellar point guard" and "the Fort Dodge ace" did, and on reflection, they are a good starting point for talking about his life and who he was. Growing up in the Depression in a small, midwestern city, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Bob worked to earn extra money as soon as he could--first helping his brother raise guinea pigs to sell to a researcher, and then at age 14 taking on a paper route getting up before 5 am seven days a week.
Sports and games were his enthusiasms growing up--basketball (he was 6'4"), baseball (his father's passion), tennis (both his parents played), cribbage (his Nova Scotia grandfather), checkers (his father), and chess (his brother). Bob loved the competition of sports and games and the camaraderie they provided.
After high school Bob enrolled in Coe College where he worked three jobs to get by. When the USA entered the war, Bob enlisted in the Army. Because of a serious knee injury that had been surgically repaired to the standards of the day, he was not eligible for combat duty, so he was stationed with a hospital unit, first in North Africa, and after D-Day, in France. It was in France that he met and married an Army nurse, Peggy Harley. After the war, he returned to Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa. Leaving his wife and young son temporarily behind, he took a train to San Francisco to apply for a job with Cal Pac (Del Monte Corp.). He was hired and worked for Del Monte in one capacity or another for the next 35 years.
In 1949 he was transferred to the Philippines, to work as the Office Manager of Del Monte's pineapple cannery. Eighteen American employees ran the cannery and plantation operation. Their young families lived in a compound with a 9-hole golf course, a 2-room schoolhouse, a community swimming pool, and a clubhouse. This was their idyllic home until 1956, and it was there that Bob and Peggy learned to play and love the game of golf.
They returned to the Bay Area in 1957. He worked as the Assistant Comptroller at Encinal Terminals in Alameda. In the late 1960s, Bob transferred to the main Del Monte office in San Francisco as the Assistant Corporate Secretary and then later as the Director of Benefits, until his retirement in 1983.
Bob and Peggy raised their family of four children in Orinda. Bob was active in the Orinda Community Church, the Orinda Masonic Lodge, the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood assoc., and the Orinda Country Club. He was a coach for children's sports teams, a timer at AAU swim meets, and a course marshall for golf tournaments.
Bob's stellar point guard and ace qualities were many: He was hard-working, serious, reliable, earnest, diligent, steadfast, loyal, and extremely punctual. He loved joking and sharing a laugh. He was generous, caring, and supportive. He would never let the team down--always doing his part and then some. Golf was Bob's preferred recreational activity, followed by ping-pong and horseshoes; he excelled at all three. He loved playing games and taught his children and grandchildren about good sportsmanship and that competing honestly, with integrity and respect for your opponent, was more important than winning.
His love of sports and competitive spirit found their match in his youngest daughter, Karen, who progressed from age group swimming to win an Olympic gold medal in the 200m butterfly at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Bob was alongside and supportive during that exciting journey.
Robert Moe will be greatly missed by his wife of nearly 70 years: Peggy Harley Moe; his children: Richard Moe, Andrea Ostling (Sven), Janet Shotwell (Hudson), Karen Humphreys (Gary); his grandchildren: Alexis Shotwell (Christopher), Linnea Rich (Aaron), Vivien Shotwell, Johanna Ostling, Laurel Thornton, Meredith Ostling, Gordon Shotwell, Kevin Thornton, and Edward Moe; his great-grandsons: Colin Rich, Anderson Ostling, Nathan Rich and Andrew Rich. A private service has taken place.