Judith "Julia" Moore, 75, an artist and writer, died December 29, 2020 of complications from lymphoma. Julia was born in San Francisco, CA and grew up there and in Monterey Park, CA. She graduated magna cum laude from Pomona College with a degree in Sociology.
She married Allen Moore in 1967 and served in the Peace Corps [Group 29 PC Bolivia 1967-69)] They later lived in Palo Alto, CA and Washington, DC, and had two children. After divorcing in 1976, she worked as a graphic designer.
She earned an MBA from Stanford University in 1982, before returning to Washington where she worked at Marriott, becoming a vice president in marketing. She married Tom Curren in 1984, and lived in Washington and Oxford, MD until divorcing in 1999.
She left the corporate world to focus on painting, a lifelong passion. While her work spanned several periods, a highlight was her series of "Generations" paintings based on photographs of her ancestors, exhibited in Washington, DC and Easton, MD.
She moved to Galisteo, NM in 2000. Julia was an active member of the United Church of Santa Fe and her local community. She supported the Santa Fe Opera as well as many charities.
Her interests ranged widely and included genealogy, history, religion, travel, music, and literature. In recent years, she developed a website about her family's history and a manuscript mixing memoir with historical fiction about her great-great-grandmother's immigration from Germany to Texas. She loved singing with her churchchoir and the Zia Singers, and enthusiastically attended concerts and opera simulcasts.
She was greatly admired for her accomplishments and her courage, creativity, and good heart. Above all, Julia loved being with family. She reveled in her role as Oma, whether baking treats, inspiring creative projects, or snuggling up to read with her grandchildren. A seeker who looked inward, she always strived for self-improvement and deep connection with others. She remained upbeat while living with cancer and confronted the end of her life with dignity and grace.
Julia is survived by her children, Jason (Helen) of San Francisco, CA, and Jenny (Scott) of Falls Church, VA; grandchildren Theo, Alexander, Evelyn, and George; sisters Christine (Robert) and Jean; brother Mark (Esta); three nephews and three nieces; two stepdaughters; and many dear friends. We will miss her deeply.
A memorial service will be held later in 2021 when it is safe to gather in person. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.
===============
REMEMBRANCES
What follows are two bios wrritten over the years.
- The first, in from the beginning of her Peace Corps training and sewrvice in Bolivia Groups 29, from April 1967 to 1969.
- The second is a collection of her respponses to several questions before the 2007 Conferernce of Retunned Peace Corps Volunteers.
- More to come. Keep checking for more information.
From in 2007: http://www.amigosdeboliviayperu.org/Mines/Bios/BioJMoore.htm
TRAINING FOR PEACE CORPS SERVICE
(APRIL 1967-JUNE 1967)
Judy, 20, wife of Allen Moore. is a native of San Francisco, California. Following a B.A. in sociology from Pomona College, Claremont, California, in 1966 with Phi Beta Kappa scholastic honors, she completed one semester of graduate work at Harvard. She traveled to Germany for part of a year of study and spent one summer in Turkey with the American Friends Service. A variety of jobs, such as working in a cannery, as a waitress, salesgirl, and receptionist at Harvard, have helped with her college expenses. In her spare time, Judy enjoys sketching, painting, German literature, and swimming
=========================
WRITTEN FOR 2007 AMIGOS DE BOLIVIA CONFERENCE IN COLORADO
PEACE CORPS IN-SERVICE LOCATIONS
Tatasi (July 1967- July 1968)
Taught English in the grade school, taught some health/nutrition classes, gave immunizations in surrounding villages, put on a summer recreation program for the kids (where I broke my foot playing Red Rover).
Colquiri (July 1968 - July 1969)
Gave out birth control information, helped teenagers build a park. Mostly, read the book locker and hung out with the Langans and Jim Baltz.
AFTER PEACE CORPS SERVICE
After PC I studied art in San Francisco and later in Washington, DC, where Allen and I settled. Jason was born in 1970 and Jenny in 1973. After our divorce in 1976 I worked as a graphic designer and policy consultant, then got an MBA in 1982 and launched a brief and heady -- but ultimately unfulfilling -- business career at Marriott Corporation. I remarried in 1984.
In 1988 I decided to pursue art full time and began painting (see http://www.juliamoore.com). I now live (soltera again) in a little artists’ community near Santa Fe where the land is just amazingly beautiful. I love the opportunity to speak Spanish here and to be part of the local cultural and religious festivals derived from Mexican and Native American roots. The sacred dances and feast days at the Pueblos are really wonderful, also the Good Friday pilgrimage to the local shrine of Chimayo.
I have become fascinated with the lives of my ancestors, and I am researching and writing their stories, to be published on a very cool web site I’ve created with the help of my son Jason (former web designer) and my daughter Jenny (my editor, and the writer of a terrific novel -- hopefully soon to be published).
I volunteer in literacy and mentoring programs. I recently worked with a group of gifted bilingual second-graders, and we dramatized -- in Spanish -- chapters from their very humorous book. I brought the props and wrote the scripts, and they meticulously corrected my (lousy) written Spanish. I definitely learned more than they did!
I enjoy hiking, traveling, seeing great art, and making music; I currently sing with a women’s choral ensemble. I love visiting my kids in San Francisco and Boston.
I’ve joined an amazing “peace movement” that gets to the root of suffering, and I am learning that peace begins within me. I plan to become more active in facilitating this simple yet profound process called “The Work” and founded by a woman named Byron Katie.
--Julia Ann Moore, 2007