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- Shelley Riley Moore
July 15, 1926 - September 13, 2014
Shelley Riley Moore, the former First Lady of West Virginia, died on Saturday, September 13, in Charleston, West Virginia. She died peacefully surrounded by family after battling Alzheimers Disease for several years. She was 88.
Shelley was known for her warmth, sense of humor, intelligence and strong devotion to her family. She was truly honored and humbled to serve West Virginia as First Lady for 12 years with her beloved husband, Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr.
Born Sadie Shelley Riley on July 15, 1926, in Miami, Florida, Shelley was the youngest of three children and adored her older sister and brother. She spent her formative years in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where she graduated high school. Shelley followed her siblings to West Virginia University, where she joined Alpha Xi Delta sorority and graduated with a B.A. in Education. While in Morgantown, she met a young man from Moundsville back from World War II. Shelley and Arch married on August 11, 1949, and spent several years in Morgantown where she taught math at public school. The Moores settled in Glen Dale, where they raised their three children, Arch III (Kim), Shelley, and Lucy.
Arch soon entered public life securing a seat in the state House of Delegates in 1952. For the next 60 years, she stood as a teammate and source of constancy for all 26 of Archs political campaigns and all of her daughters races. Shelley is the longest serving First Lady in West Virginias history, and she took on several important causes during her tenure. Most notably, she established the West Virginia Mansion Preservation Foundation, to maintain the mansion and its heritage for the people of West Virginia. She conducted countless tours and insisted on open access to the Governors residence.
She also embraced educational initiatives and programs for children. Shelley was intimately involved with various Girl Scout programs in West Virginia, serving as a member of the Black Diamond Girl Scout Council Board of Directors. She was dedicated to improving educational opportunities for disabled children, and was a driving force with Arch for the numerous initiatives to establish and improve mental-health programs around the Mountain State. She served as chairwoman of the Mental Health Association, National Library Week, honorary chairwoman of the Heart Association, and in many other positions.
Upon retiring from public life, Shelley and Arch returned to their home in Glen Dale, West Virginia. They enjoyed traveling, spending time with family and friends, and attending West Virginia University football games. For her, kickoff was 20 minutes before the game when the Pride of West Virginia took the field. Shelley was quite the competitor, whether on the tennis court, at the bridge table, or on the campaign trail.
The compassion and grace with which she served as First Lady will be her public legacy, but to those fortunate enough to call her Mom, Grandmother, or friend, her legacy is her warmth, her sense of humor, and her unwavering loyalty. Shelley and Arch enjoyed a loving, passionate, and unbreakable marriage of 65 years. Their marriage was the foundation upon which they built a loving family and served as a model of companionship, friendship, and teamwork. Their children remember their mother for her ability to match an uplifting sense of humor with a genuine ability to listen and connect, traits that made everyone around her know they mattered. Shelleys seven grandchildren remember her for her love of the ocean, devotion to her family, and commitment to their happiness.
Shelley is preceded in death by her parents Jacob Lewis and Sadie Riley, sister Nan Tillman, and brother Colonel Jacob Lewis Riley, Jr. Shelley Moore is survived by her husband, Arch, son Kim with wife Catherine, grandson Riley, granddaughter Gena, grandson Alfie (wife Gina); daughter Shelley Moore Capito with husband Charles, grandsons Charles (wife Laura and great grandchildren Celia and Charles) and Moore (wife Katie) and granddaughter Shelley Capito Macleod (husband Colin); daughter Lucy Moore Durbin with husband John and granddaughter Sydney. She will be loved and missed by her family around the country, including nieces, nephews, and additional family and friends.
The family will welcome visitors in Charleston in the Rotunda at the University of Charleston on Friday, September 19, 2014, from 11:30 to 1:30. In Moundsville, visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 on Friday, September 19, at Grisells Funeral Home (400 Jefferson Avenue, Moundsville, WV). On Saturday, the funeral service for Shelley will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Simpson United Methodist Church in Moundsville (800 7th Street). The family will receive visitors at 9:30 a.m. at the Church. A private graveside service will follow. Tributes to Shelley can be made to the Arch A. Moore, Jr. and Shelley Riley Moore Library Endowment at West Virginia University.
https://www.grisellfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/shelley-moore/#!/Obituary
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1926 - 2014 (88 years)
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