Lester Leland Moore

Lester Leland Moore AMES, Iowa--Lester Leland Moore, 88, passed away on May 15, 2014, in Ames. Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 23, 2014, at Collegiate United Methodist Church at 2622 Lincoln Way in Ames. Visitation will be from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2014, at the church. Cards may be sent to Hastings Funeral Home P.O. Box 204 in Perry. Lester was born on May 9, 1926 in Troy, and was the ninth son of twelve children born to Rev. Forest Allen Moore and Ida May Freeman Moore. He graduated from Grinnell High School in 1943. He enrolled in the United States Army at the age of 18 and was sent overseas four months later. He was engaged in three major battles in World War II in Europe. When he returned home, he attended college on the G.I. Bill and graduated from Simpson College in 1949. He received his Master of Sacred Theology from Boston University in 1953. In 1988 he was granted a Doctor of Divinity degree from Iowa Wesleyan College. Lester married Ruth Ellen Stremlow on December 1, 1946. They parented four children with love, patience, kindness, and wisdom. They provided lessons each day through the way they liv...[more]

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their own lives. Lester and Ruth were married for forty-three wonderful years and were parted by Ruth's death in 1990. Lester loved his family dearly, and his grandchildren were treated to many adventures and much laughter. Bedtime story telling kept them begging for more. Lester was ordained a pastor of the Methodist Church and together with Ruth served parishes at Liberty Methodist Church, South Middleboro-South Carver, Mass., North Muscatine Methodist Parish (Park Avenue, Sweetland, Spangler Chapel and High Prairie,) Manning and Dedham, Corning Parish (Corning, Mt. Etna, Brooks and Carbon), Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation in Ames, and First United Methodist Church in Perry. He also served as District Superintendent in the Muscatine District from 1983-1989. Following his retirement in 1991, he served interim positions in Willow, Alaska, at St. Luke's United Methodist in Dubuque and at First United Methodist in Anchorage, Alaska. He represented the Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa as its representative attempting to organize community college campus ministries in various community colleges in the state. He also accepted an appointment as the Local Church Consultant for the Iowa United Methodist Foundation where he worked until 2003. Lester was elected by his peers to be a delegate to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church every four years from 1960-1984. While his first love was the ministry, he also spent 18 months as an Administrative Assistant to Congressman John R. Hanson from the 7th District in Iowa from 1965-1966. His work in Washington, D.C. was exciting and meaningful for him and all who worked with him. In 2003, Lester married Rosemary Woodin Reed. They enjoyed taking many trips and seeing all corners of the country. They were great fans of Iowa State basketball and supported both the men's and women's teams with season tickets. Rosemary passed away in 2013. Lester is survived by his son, David Moore and wife, Linnea, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; son, Jeffrey Moore and wife, Margaret, of Milford, Michigan; daughter, Jane Clark and husband, Kevin, of New Hope, Minnesota; son, Randall Moore and wife, Amy, of Northfield, Minnesota; grandchildren, Miriam Moore, Joshua Moore, Juniper Moore, Caitlin Clark, Emma Clark, Neil Moore, and Lily Moore; step-children, Dan Reed and Deb Scott and husband, Rich; his siblings, Rev. Raymond Moore and wife, Marjorie, Edwin Moore and wife, Gwendolyn, and Priscilla Strohbehn and husband, Dale; a sister-in-law, Marles Moore; and multitudes of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; both wives, Ruth and Rosemary; seven brothers; and one sister.