Kenneth Moore, 85, of Sutherlin, Oregon, passed away on October 31, 2024, in the company of his son and daughter-in-law.
Born in Big Cedar, Oklahoma on February 26, 1939, Ken was the third child of Carl and Madge Moore. His siblings were two older sisters, Pat and Peggy as well as a younger brother Jimmy and sister, Nancy. Seeing opportunities in the growing timber industry, Ken’s father moved his family to Sutherlin, Oregon in the early 1950’s. Although Ken worked on the road with his father in his teens, Sutherlin remained his home for the next sixty years. It was there that he met and married the love of his life, Cheryl Vandenberg on December 5, 1959.
Their first child, Rick, was born in November 1960 with their daughter, Sherri, arriving in September 1962.
With two small children, Ken kept busy working in the lumber mills in Sutherlin for most of the next ten years. However, when a recession hit, he taught himself how to weld which opened other doors for employment, rebuilding sawmills, log-truck trailers and other projects until he retired in 2002.
Hard work and long hours aside, Ken found time to enjoy the outdoors. He was an avid hunter, with a garage rafter littered with deer and elk antlers. His talents also extended to the rivers and lakes where he brought home many a wonderful meal of fish, including many impressive Chinook salmon and steelhead trout.
Ken’s children graduated from Sutherlin High, with Rick in 1979 and Sherri in 1981. Following a marriage in 1986, Sherri also brought Ken and Cheryl first grandchild, Erik, in late 1986. More grandchildren from their daughter followed with Kirstie, Ryker, Alexandra and Garrett.
With family a top priority, Ken and Cheryl helped move their daughter and five grandchildren to Sutherlin where they assumed a key role as grandparents in helping those children through not only childhood, but also throughout their adult years. That dedication and devotion continued after both of them retired.
Ken was preceded in death by his wife, Cheryl as well as his father, mother, older sisters Pat and Peggy and younger brother, Jim. Ken is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Amy Moore, daughter, Sherri and her husband Cleve, and grandchildren, Erik, Kirstie, Ryker, Alexandra and Garrett.
The service will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 11 am at the Chapel of the Roses in Roseburg, Oregon. Flowers and donations can be sent to 965 W Harvard Ave, Roseburg, OR 97471.
