Oliver Moore, son of the late Melvin Moore and Dollie Lambeth(Nolan Lambeth), was born March 9, 1939 in Phoenix, Arizona. Heattended Phoenix Union High School before enlisting
into theUnited States Marine Corps on June 10, 1961. From an early ageOliver attended Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Phoenix, Arizona.
He was united in holy matrimony to VirJean on June 19, 1959;VirJean proceeded him in death on July 4, 2017. The union wasblessed with three beautiful daughters; the late Gwendolyn Moss,Lisa Moore(Terry), and Yulonda Byrd (Lionel). Oliver also hasdaughter, Fran Moore. As a Marine, Oliver (Lieutenant Corporal) was stationed in LosAngeles, California. He served as an Anti-tank assault soldier.Oliver was passionate about culinary arts and was a chef by trade.In 1958 he successfully completed food service school. While in the United States Marine Corps Oliver utilized his culinaryexpertise, and became known as a “Master Chef”. Oliver lovedsharing his recipes with his children. He took great pleasure andpride in working alongside them when it came to making pies,potato salad, dressing, and barbequing (just ask his granddaughter“Tootie”). Although Oliver could perfect any recipe, his specialtiesincluded “Goulash,” pinto beans (his favorite), and his famous BBQsauce. It was not unusual to see Oliver enjoying a bowl of pintobeans with his eyes closed, occasionally sharing a “grunt ofpleasure” between bites.
Oliver was a great story teller andgenerally had a story for any topic. If you knew Oliver you couldtell by the end of his stories, parts of them may have been a bitembellished, a trait he inherited from his mother, the late DollieLambeth.
For many years Oliver worked as a Master Chef for Smitty’sSupermarket, until the chain of stores closed in the 1990’s. In 1998he embarked on a career with St. Vincent de Paul overseeingculinary services for their homelessness program and shelter.Over the years he received a number of certificates and awards forhow well he managed
and maintained the dining room and foodservices. He was officially recognized as an outstanding,dedicated, and model employee by St. Vincent de Paul. Oliverremained a dedicated employee with St. Vincent de Paul until heretired in 2014. His life will be forever cherished in the lives of his family,friends, and loved ones. Special memories will forever live onthrough
his sisters Martha Haywood (John) and Diane Lambeth;Bonus daughter Rosalind Williams; 10 grandchildren; the lateJuvon, Marcus, Azuree, Ashleigh, Chanel, Christina, Chauntel,Loryn, Hailey, and Rochelle; 9 great grandchildren Juvon Jr,Marcus Jr, D’Azuree, Dequez, Jaheim, Olivia, Mi’Azuree, Capital,and Marcell. Oliver also has a host of other family and friends thatwill continue to hold special memories close to their hearts.
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