Walking through their Blackhawk neighborhood every morning, appreciating the beauty of the community and the joy of being retired and active grandparents, Bob and Kathy Moore feel grateful every day for the life they created.
The couple first met in the small town of Delmar, NY in 1965. Kathy says Bob had a summer job working for her dad. “One evening Bob stopped by our house to pick up his paycheck. He ended up sitting at the kitchen table talking with me until late that night. The next morning, I went to work at Woolworths and Bob was already inside talking to my co-workers. He had sweet-talked his way in before the store opened so he could invite me to a Bob Dylan concert in Montreal. Of course, I said no as we’d just met. He went to the concert alone, and then back to his last semester in college, telling his roommate, ‘I just met the girl I’m going to marry’.”
Once he returned home from college, he asked Kathy on a date and they have been together ever since. They were married in 1976 and will celebrate their 45th anniversary in May. Kathy explains how they made the move to the Bay Area. “We started off married life in a little house in Delmar, NY. I taught English at the high school we’d both graduated from, and Bob went to work as a salesman for Hills Brothers Coffee. Seven years later, we were transferred to the Hills Bros headquarters in San Francisco. We were a family of four when we arrived in California in 1983, first settling in Fremont. In 1988, we’d grown to a family of six when we made the best move of our lives, settling in Danville. We owned two homes in the Woodranch neighborhood, which is where our girls grew up, attending local schools, playing softball and tennis, participating in cheerleading, and dancing at The Next Step Dance Studio. Six years ago, as empty nesters, we moved to the Kingswood neighborhood in Blackhawk. We always loved the beauty and serenity of Blackhawk, and it truly is our happy place.”
Bob graduated from the State University of New York with a degree in History. He started post-college life as a salesman at Hills Bros. Coffee, quickly moving up to become the Division Manager. His work ethic, sales record, and relationship skills got him noticed at company headquarters, and he was recruited to make the move to the Bay Area. In 1985, Hills Bros was acquired by Nestlé and the little family-owned coffee company became part of the world’s largest food and beverage company. Bob held a number of positions throughout his career at Nestlé, and within a few years he was named a Vice President. He was able to retire early and pursue other entrepreneurial adventures including real estate and running a small beverage company. For the past several years he’s kept busy working part-time selling advertising for RSVP, a direct sales business that allows him to stay active in the community and work closely with local chambers of commerce.
Kathy graduated from the State University of New York with a degree in English Education, which she says led her to her dream job. “I was able to teach English at the high school I graduated from. With the move west, I retired from teaching to stay at home for several years with our growing family. When our youngest daughter began school at the newly opened Sycamore Elementary, I was hired as the school librarian. I later taught second grade there before moving to Charlotte Wood to teach English and History, finally landing at the SRVUSD office where I held a number of positions until my retirement as Director of Instructional Services in 2019. Simply put, I love school.” Kathy continues to take classes in poetry and painting, and teaches on-line writing and reading courses. She earned a Master’s degree from St. Mary’s College and has taught several graduate level courses there and served as a research advisor in the School of Education. She then went on to complete a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from California State University East Bay in 2012. “When I retired, I began working as a family book coach with Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation, connecting low-income families with access to high quality books,” adds Kathy.
Giving back to the community has always been important for Bob and Kathy. Kathy has volunteered as both a Danville and San Ramon Arts Commissioner, and was San Ramon’s Poet Laureate for three terms (2012-2018). “I write every day and recently spent a week as a Day-Use Fellow at Eugene O’Neill’s magnificent Tao House in the Danville hills. My poetry chapbook, Avians of Mourning, was published last fall and is available online and locally at Rakestraw Books. A children’s novel, Elinormal, will be published next fall, and I’m currently working on a number of other book projects,” shares Kathy. Bob has volunteered with the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California for ten years, and he continues to be the organization’s top fund-raiser. He has served as a Chamber ambassador and on the board of the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce.
The Moores treasure family time above all else. “Before Covid, we shared Sunday dinners with the whole family each week. Most evenings you can find us at home enjoying a good book or challenging each other to a game of Scrabble. I can spend hours each day in the garden, which has become the perfect outdoor office during the shutdown,” says Kathy. The couple’s four daughters live locally as do their five grandchildren. Bob says the family has a simple motto they live by; I say to my four daughters every day, ‘Try to be good, not bad.’ It is such a simple idea, but I can honestly say that each one of them has made a lifetime of good choices. They are exemplary women – thoughtful and kind and generous, and I’m proud to say they are raising their families with this same perspective – it is better to think of others before self, and always, always, always do the right thing.”
By Megan Scott, Resident since 2010
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