Janice Moor, one of Greenwood’s most prominent figures in public service and leadership, died Friday. She was 88.
Mrs. Moor died from COVID-19 in Nashville, Tennessee, where she had resided for the past 16 years. Her son Robin Moor said she was fully vaccinated and was scheduled to receive a booster vaccine.
Though she had not resided in Greenwood for more than a decade, her impact as a leader, volunteer and advocate is remembered.
“She was a one-of-a-kind personality who helped build our Chamber of Commerce into a strong organization,” said Beth Stevens, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, said Stevens, adding that she owed Mrs. Moor “a debt of gratitude” for being a mentor.
“I learned so much under her 17 years ago when I took over as director,” Stevens said, “and she was so knowledgeable and personable and never met a stranger.”
Mrs. Moor was born Aug. 15, 1933, in McPherson, Kansas. She and her husband, Marion M. Moor, married in 1952 and moved to Greenwood, Marion’s hometown, in 1963. The two got started in the insurance business together. She also became involved with First United Methodist Church.
She described her first impression of the city to the Commonwealth in 2005 as leaving her “perfectly miserable” but said her view changed. She soon grew into one of Greenwood’s most visible leaders and advocates.
A longtime chamber volunteer, she became its first female president in 1987. She then served as its executive vice president from 1990 until her retirement in 2004.
Mrs. Moor’s long record of service was recognized in 1997 with the Commonwealth’s Community Service Award. She was described simply by then-Managing Editor Tom Miller: “When others talk, Janice Moor does.”
Mrs. Moor told the Commonwealth that year that Greenwood has “a great deal of warmth” and that “the small-town atmosphere is something precious, something we should always be proud of.”
Dale Persons, a former chamber president, said working with Mrs. Moor made his job a lot easier because of her support and guidance.
“I think Janice was one of the very first people I got involved with at the chamber,” he said. “I just enjoyed working with her. She loved the chamber, there’s no doubt about that. She was so organized and methodical and dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s, and she did things right, but she also made it a lot of fun.”
He said her enthusiasm and love for Greenwood were felt in each project she started or any leadership role she took on.
“I always viewed her as an integral part of the community there in Greenwood,” said her son Robin. “She was involved in so many different things, from the Junior Auxillary to the Wilburn-Moor Insurance Agency that she and my dad ran, and then her time at the Chamber of Commerce and, of course, the Greenwood Little Theatre.”
Mrs. Moor and her husband were involved in numerous productions of the community theater even though Mrs. Moor actually suffered from stage fright. “Oh, I get almost sick, so frightened, so much stage fright,” she told the Commonwealth in 1997. “But when the curtain goes up, well, then I’m fine.”
Her son recalled one production in which Mrs. Moor showed how willing she was to commit to a role.
“Will Long was an antagonist, and Will was former special services,” he said. “She was supposed to throw a punch, and he was supposed to fall and everything. Well, she actually landed the punch and knocked him out. Hurt her wrist, bruised it terribly, but she was so embarrassed by that particular occurrence.”
Mrs. Moor was “a superb actress,” according to longtime friend and fellow Greenwood Little Theatre performer Eddie Amelung. He said she was one of his favorite actresses with whom to work.
“Although she’s been away from Greenwood for a while and I haven’t seen her in a long time, we did converse by email from time to time,” he said. “She always enjoyed hearing the latest news from Greenwood, and we always discussed GLT and what the theatre was producing or preparing to stage.”
He said he would miss her terribly.
Robin said he remembers her for her commitment to helping others.
“She was always thinking about others and was really concerned about helping others that were really in need. She was the old-fashioned Republican — one who believes in taking care of those who were less fortunate.”
When preparing to depart Greenwood for Nashville in 2005, Mrs. Moor recalled to the Commonwealth about when her other son, Geren Moor, needed heart surgery as a child.
“I cannot tell you the strength that I got from the people who were concerned about Geren, and about us, during that surgery,” she said. “That’s what sealed Greenwood's fate as far as I’m concerned. It became home then.”
Mrs. Moor was a member of Belle Meade United Methodist Church and served in the church’s choir.
She was preceded in death by her husband.
In addition to her two sons, she is survived by a daughter, Jamie Granbery, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwa-rds@gwcommonwealth.com.
