Charles D. “Doc” Moore, PE, rose from this earthly home to his heavenly home on July 4, 2020. A longtime resident of the Santa Ynez Valley, Doc loved the Valley, and all its God given beauty, spending most of his last years at the home he loved so very much, in the care of his wife, Nancy, whom he loved even more.
Born on a farm near Anniston, AL, on October 26, 1940 to Lewis and Lois Moore, Doc’s pioneering work in aeronautics helped send men to the moon and rovers to Mars; he and Nancy would eventually circumnavigate the planet in their own travels.
The second of six kids, Doc would go on to advanced degrees from Jacksonville State University and USC. At Jacksonville, he noticed a good looking new gal on campus and announced to a classmate that “I’m going to marry that girl” before he even knew her name was Nancy. In 1965, Doc was invited to work in Huntsville, AL alongside Werner Von Braun on the static firing of the Saturn 5 rocket, and in a sad turn of events, Boeing would bring Doc to Cape Canaveral to join the investigation into the fire which killed the crew of Apollo 1 mission. After the successful launch of the next Saturn mission, Martin Marrietta asked Doc to come to California to work with the Titan and MX programs at Vandenberg AFB. Foreseeing the collapse of the USSR and massive defense budgets, Doc was on the team that would ultimately merge Lockheed and Martin and go after new endeavors, such as the high-speed trains of England, Europe, and Japan. By the ’90s, Doc was working on programs ranging from Mars Rover to Starlight satellites.
Doc retired from aerospace in his late 50s, and he soon launched a second career working with the wranglers at the Alisal Guest Ranch. Working for minimum wage and green fees, he loved teaching kids to fish and became a favorite of visiting celebrities because he simply treated them like ‘normal’ people. His family laughed and knew that, in fact, Doc simply had no clue who they were.
A lifelong Alabama football fan and former Eagle scout, Doc had many interests outside of aerospace. When his family was young, he loaded and unloaded the station wagon a thousand times for beach, ski, camping, and vacation road trips. Requests for pit stops were inevitably met with the words, “got to keep mooching,” Doc-speak for ‘oh no, we’re not stopping.’ Easter hunts were “egg-offs,” and by dawn of Thanksgiving day, the Christmas albums were blasting. He loved life and he loved people. He was fun, intelligent, principled, and a great Christian man who set an example for the rest of us. A constant volunteer until he was sidelined by a stroke in 2007, Doc worked with Rotary and Kiwanis clubs in Littleton, CO and Solvang, CA, and served many years as an elder, deacon, and board member of SYV Presbyterian Church and SYV Preschool. He was especially proud of his last bit of service, his appointment to the Selective Service board by President Obama.
Doc will be so greatly missed by his wife of 56 years, Nancy, and his sons, Michael Moore of San Francisco and Stephen Moore of Rocklin, CA. He leaves two grandchildren, Matthew Moore and Savannah Moore, both of Roseville, CA. Doc had five brothers and sisters all of Alabama. Harlie (deceased ), Doyle(Jenny), Geraldine(Mike), Charlotte(Donnie), Mike L.(Patti), and many well-loved nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Doc’s memory may contribute to the Friendship House of Solvang, the Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church, or the charity of your choice. Because of the Covid virus, a private family memorial service was held at his home.
