John Thomas Moore was born on the 10th December 1923. He was a very fit and active man, playing a round of golf the day before he had a stroke on the 22nd July. Sadly complications set in and he passed away on the 7th August.

His funeral was held at the Anstey United Reformed Church in Anstey where he and his parents and sister had always been closely involved. He was born on the family farm at Walton by Kimcote, South Leicestershire. Times became very tough for farming and the family moved to Leicester in 1929. John’s father Arthur took a job on the Leicester Corporation Farm (where Beaumont Leys is now built) where he worked for the rest of his life. John and his sister Gwladys attended school in Anstey. John gained a scholarship to Wyggeston Boys School and one of his friends in his class was Sir Richard Attenborough.

He left school in 1940 and worked for the Leicester Permanent Building Society in Welford Place. At 17 he volunteered before Conscription and joined the Royal Corps of Signals whose recruiting office was Ulverscroft Road off Catherine Street in Leicester. He joined the D day invasion landing on Gold Beach just two or three days after the first landing. He saw the troops parachuting in to Arnhem and was attached to the US 101st Airborne Division. He battled through France, Belgium and Holland and was in Hamburg at the end of the War in Europe. He was preparing to go to fight in Japan when the war ended and was thus sent to Egypt and Palestine. He left the service in 1947 and returned to the Building Society for whom he worked all his life. He was the first branch manager for their Stafford branch in 1961. He returned to Charles Street in 1974 after being in Birmingham on route. He retired in 1983 after 43 years service.

He married Kathleen Chamberlain of Groby in 1948 who sadly died of Myotonic Dystrophy (similar to Muscular Dystrophy) in 1986. The retiring collection from John’s funeral was given to the Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group as other members of the family also suffer. John and Kathleen are survived by David and his wife Carolyn, daughters Susan and Alison and her husband Rad. Also two grandchildren Ian and Fiona.

In 1991 John married Heather and they moved to live in Newtown Linford. Heather died in 2001 and since then John has spent his time mainly playing at the Lingdale Golf Club three mornings per week, weather permitting. He was a lifelong Leicester City supporter and held a season ticket for 34 years. He also loved walking, painting, photography and last but definitely not least his family. His family describe him as a kind, gentle and fair man whose passing is a loss to all who knew him especially the family whose lives will never be quite the same again.

source Village Magazine issue 58