Robert Leonard 80, a longtime Cambridge resident and businessman, passed away on July 29th after a long illness. He was the loving husband of 59 years to Lynn Hirsh Moore and beloved father of three sons: Jeffrey (Lisa) Moore of Austin, Texas, Jonathan (Elizabeth) Moore of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and Steven (Lee Coffin) Moore of Hanover, New Hampshire and Boston who all survive him. He is also survived by a brother, Arthur Moore of Yukon, Oklahoma, and five grandchildren: Brett Moore of Salem, Oregon, Grant Moore of Fort Collins, Colorado, Blake Moore of Dallas, and Victoria “Tori” and Courtney Moore of Chelmsford. He was predeceased by a sister, Carol Moore Barnes of Yukon.
Born December 10, 1937 in St. Michael, Pennsylvania, to the late Arthur and Laura Nancollas Moore, Robert (“Bob”) was raised in the mining town of South Fork, Pennsylvania, graduating as co-salutatorian of South Fork’s Class of 1955. The first member of his family to graduate from college, Bob was a scholarship student who earned his B.A. in psychology from Columbia College in 1959. After graduating from Columbia, Bob taught English at a California high school before beginning a long and successful career as a businessman in several corporate roles in New York. In 1980, Bob launched Omni Apex, a corrugated packaging company with offices in Acton, and later Concord, Massachusetts, as well as a manufacturing plant in Fitchburg.
A writer, philosopher and a naturalist, Bob enjoyed reading, poetry, classical music, nature walks and time by the sea at his second homes in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and Boca Raton. He self-published three books after his retirement: the two-part A Letter to My Children in the Form of a Commonplace Book and Gathered Thoughts, an Anthology of a Life Enjoyed, a book of his poetry. Both are included in the collection at Harvard University‘s Widener Library. Bob’s life was guided by a strong sense of curiosity, a fierce self-reliance, and plentiful generosity. He is remembered for his wry sense of humor, inquisitive and gentle nature, and great care for family and friends.
Funeral services will be held at 2PM on Thursday, August 2, 2018 at Story Chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge. Visitation will precede the service from 1-2PM. Internment at Mount Auburn will immediately follow the service.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be offered in his memory to the undergraduate financial aid fund at Columbia College (www.givenow.columbia.edu/#) or in honor of his extraordinary caregivers Cissy Nakkonge of Canton, Massachusetts, and Sheldon Babweteera of Marlborough, Massachusetts to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, 34 Washington Street, Suite 200, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481.