Frederick M. "Fred" Moore (96) of Effingham

Frederick Marvin Moore, age 96, passed away peacefully at his home in Effingham, IL on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

Visitation will be Monday June 17, 2024, at Johnson Funeral Home from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Burial will follow at St. Anthony Cemetery with Military Rites; all in Effingham, Illinois.

Fred was born September 11, 1927, in Florence, Greenwood County, Kansas, the son of Clifton Arthur and Leona Byrd (Thomas) Moore. He missed his Eureka (Kansas) High School graduation in 1944 by enlisting in the US Merchant Marines, his second choice, because the Army rejected the skinny kid from the Flint Hills of Kansas. After World War II, Fred graduated from Emporia (Kansas) State Teacher’s College with a degree in business education, only to be drafted into the Army. He was assigned to the financial division and became a paymaster in Seoul, Korea. Returning to Kansas, he met a traveling nurse, Paula Antoinette Schieber, who soon became his wife. He married Paula in 1955 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was recruited as a teacher in Illinois’ fledgling vocational education program, first in Carmi, Illinois, and then Effingham, where the family settled in 1957. He taught vocational education and was the Distributive Education (DE) Coordinator for Effingham High School. Fred enjoyed being a teacher and influenced many students over his thirty-two-year career. Fred was a hard worker and instilled a strong work ethic in his children while being a lifelong entrepreneur. He enjoyed traveling. He and Paula drove all over the country with their seven children and later in life, he traveled all over the world with his wife. Fred was proud of his family and the legacy he and Paula created. He was a member of the Elks Club, the VFW, the American Legion, the Knights of Columbus, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Fred and Paula are the parents of seven children: Marcia (Randall) Niemerg of Teutopolis; Sheila (Mark, deceased) Percival of Watson; Stephen (Lisa) Moore of Effingham; Jane (Mike) Winters of Dieterich; Melissa (Randal) Schmitt of Troy; Maureen Moore (deceased); and Thomas (Kathleen) Moore of Oblong.

Fred and Paula leave behind their family legacy including six children, eighteen grandchildren, two step- grandchildren, thirty-three great-grandchildren, three step great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews, including nephew, Thaddeus Bruno, of Effingham.

Fred was preceded in death by his wife, Paula; daughter, Maureen Moore; son-in-law, Mark Percival; and great-grandson, David Schaefer.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Sacred Heart Grade School.