Anne Lester Moore

Anne Lester Moore died Saturday morning, June 8th, at her residence in Campbell County, Virginia.  She was 77 and the loving wife of William R. "Bill" Moore of Mount Athos for almost 58 wonderful years.  Born March 4, 1936, to William Gibson Lester, Jr. and Eleanor Buhrman Lester of Wallace, Washington County, VA.  She is survived by her husband and children Laura M. Aylor and her husband, Stan, of Forest,VA.  David C. Moore and his wife, Jennifer, also of Forest, and six grandchildren, Emma Aylor, Will Aylor, Hailey Kramer, Penelope Moore, Savannah Moore and Allie Moore.   Also by her treasured nephews Billy, Bobby, Brian and Chris Burrill and their families.  She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Marie L. Burrill Cook.  She will be greatly missed by all of the above and the many people and friends who knew and loved her.  She will be cremated, as was her wish.  Visitation will be at her residence 7041 Richmond Hwy. Lynchburg, VA.  Wednesday June 12th between 6:00 and 9:00 PM. 

Anne was the heart and soul of the family business, Moore's Country Store.  She served her customers with dignity, grace and humor for 39 years.  She supported Bill in graduate school at VPI (VA Tech) by working in the startup of the General Electric plant in Salem,VA, and was one of GE's first employees there.  She commuted daily from Blacksburg to Salem during the last year of Bill's education and was greatly relieved when he accepted an offer from Standard Oil of California (now Chevron) to work for them as an oil field geologist in Casper, Wyoming.  Anne learned to accept the change from the lushness of her native Virginia to the relative barrenness of central Wyoming and even came to love the state and its fiercely independent people.  Not one to confine her activities to the hearth and kitchen she soon went to work for the manager of the loan department of Wyoming National Bank.  She and Bill had five lovely years in the Rocky Mountain oil patch.  One bleak, 30 below zero, January night in Minot, ND, Bill's father called to tell them that he had decided to sell the family country store.  Anne was listening.  She punched Bill in the ribs and told him to call his dad back.  That night around the kitchen table they decided to give up the nomadic life of the oil patch, return to Virginia, and buy the country store.  Life was fun in the West, even the moving four times their last year. Their daughter, Laura; was born a few weeks before their decision to return to Virginia and a child changes everything.  Upon returning to Virginia Anne realized what an opportunity she and Bill had been handed.  She spent the last 39 years of her working life making the most of that opportunity and cherishing having her children, and later her grandchildren, underfoot. 

Anne was educated in the public schools of Washington County, VA.  She had completed two years toward a degree in speech therapy at Miami of Ohio when Bill convinced her to marry him.  Her family was and is prominent in public education  in Washington County.

Her grandfather was on the School Board for many years and her mother was coordinator of primary education for the county.  Anne herself gave up a very promising career in speech therapy.  She was always either brilliant or near brilliant in her academic endeavors.  Her speech department head at Miami cried when she told him that she wasn't coming back for her junior year.  She gave it all up for love, adventure and family.  Her family and friends are grateful that she did.  As are those that knew her in everyday life.

Anne expressed her wishes that there not be the usual display of flowers.  She has lived among and enjoyed them in their natural state at her home of 14 years.  She would rather that friends donate to public education in her memory especially to the Virginia Military Institute Foundation, Box 932, Lexington, VA, 24450.