Jack Hilton Moore

Jack Hilton Moore, 84, passed into the next realm while holding the hands of his sons after a sudden and brief terminal leukemia diagnosis, on January 11, 2026, at his home in Walhalla, S.C.

He is survived by sons Erik Moore (Kathleen Nalley) and Jason Moore (Heather Ericson), grandson Daegan Moore (Claire), and step-grandchildren Elijah (Frida Vidal) and Lennon Nalley, as well as nieces Jean Dye (P.B.) and Libby McDuffie (Bobby) and grand-nephew, John McDuffie. He is also survived by countless cousins and distant relatives, as well his church friends at First Baptist Church of Walhalla, where he especially enjoyed singing.

Jack was born in Fair Play, S.C., to Hilton Moore and Bessie Lecroy Moore. The only son and the youngest of five, Jack was preceded in death by his sisters, Sarah Robinson, Margie Williams, Elise Burdette, and Christine Shaver.

Jack served in the U.S. Air Force as staff sergeant from 1963-1967. After earning a B.A. in humanities and social sciences from the University of South Carolina, Jack worked, and, ultimately, retired as Director of the Supportive Living program at the Tribble Center, a part of Oconee Board of Disabilities. Additionally, for a few years, he owned and operated his own restaurant, The Seneca House, in Seneca, S.C.

Jack was known as the steady rock of his family, as one of the best cooks around, and as a nurturer of all things that grow. A true “Renaissance Man,” Jack could re-cane an antique chair as well as sew a hem. He raised his sons to be equipped for virtually anything—to grow from seed or cutting, to sew and mend, to repair and refinish, to cook from scratch using only what you had, and to respect the dignity of all living things.

Jack’s gardens were the envy of neighbors and friends. He could literally grow anything—from dahlias and hydrangeas to kale and collards. Each spring he delighted in bringing his landscape to life and passing along his flowers and vegetables. His home, no matter which or where, was always a place of stability and peace, and his front porch a place of welcome.

Our beloved father, grandfather, “Pop,” uncle, friend, and neighbor, Jack will be cremated and his ashes interred at Dolly Cooper Veterans Cemetery in Anderson, S.C. A memorial will take place at Brown Funeral Home in Seneca, S.C., Saturday, January 17 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity of your choice or plant a bee- and bird-friendly perennial or tree in Jack’s honor.

“I sing because I’m happy,

I sing because I’m free.

For his eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.”