Cleveland Fain 'CF' Moore, Jr.

Cleveland Fain "CF" Moore, Jr. passed away peacefully on July 6, 2021, nine days after his One-Hundredth birthday, in Norman, Oklahoma. On June 27, 1921, CF was born to Cleveland and Covella Pinkston Moore in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He went to high school in Drumright, Oklahoma, where he graduated in 1939. CF enrolled in college at Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanical University, now known as Oklahoma State University, where he joined the ROTC as part of a newly established Signal Corps Battalion. In January 1943, CF was called to active duty and attended the first class of the Special Signal Corps Officer Candidates School. During this program, he received specialized training in long-range radios and related areas. He graduated from the OCS program in May 1943 and was awarded a Second Lieutenant Reserve Commission in the U.S Army. He went on to complete his degree in electrical engineering in 1944. CF received additional training before going to England onboard the HSM Britannica, arriving in Liverpool. 

He always described his time in the Army as being General Eisenhower's radioman. CF's degree and specialized training led to his assignment at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, commanded by General Eisenhower. He spent two years traveling through Europe while the headquarters moved throughout England, France, Belgium, and Germany before returning to the United States in 1946. He was a proud U.S. veteran. His military awards included the American Campaign Medal; the European, African, Middle East Campaign Medal with three battle stars; the Victory Medal, and a Unit Meritorious Award.

After the war in 1946, CF joined the oil industry with Sohio Petroleum. He started his career as part of what was known as Doodle Buggers. These teams set off dynamite charges and used seismic microphones to create rock structure maps. These detailed maps measured down several thousand feet, helping them locate oil. The crew frequently moved, taking them throughout the U.S. While in Louisiana, CF met Nelwyn Dean.         

He was captivated upon meeting her, and they married on May 20, 1949. They traveled together for their first three years of marriage, living in a 25-foot trailer. They both told hilarious stories about their travels, exploration, and life on the backroad, blowing up the ground in often Godforsaken places of the far north and west. CF retired in Oklahoma City from Sohio in 1984, after 38 years with the company.

CF and Nelwyn made a permanent home in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1963, where they raised two sons and lived the rest of their lives. Shortly after moving to Norman, they joined St. Stephen's United Methodist Church. They never gave up the travel bug and after they retired, they bought an Airstream. For nearly 25-years after retirement, they spent the summers in and around Leadville, Colorado. One of CF's other early hobbies was hunting. This hobby did not last after an unfortunate outing where Nelwyn got a black eye from her rifle scope, causing them to replace hunting with fishing. They fished and camped in many places. They both developed loving and long-term friendships with the people they met in the various locations they visited over their lifetimes. During summer vacations, they would come home for a short respite to refurbish the fishing tackle box and then head back to the mountains until cold weather froze the water in the trailer connections.

CF was an active parent and was highly involved with the Boy Scouts in Troop 242. He traveled with his son's troop to Japan, and he received the Silver Beaver Award for his long and distinguished efforts as a Boy Scout leader. He gave his children many opportunities for exploration, taking frequent trips to national parks across the U.S.

CF was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife, Nelwyn, as well as all his siblings, Elvis Edward Moore, Hazel Vern Moore Jennings, Ellsworth William Moore, and Ted Russell Moore. He is survived by his son, Kim, and daughter-in-law, Marta, of Norman, and his son, Keith, and his daughter-in-law, Beth, of Winter Park, Florida. CF has three granddaughters, Kathleen and Kirsten of Norman and Alexis of Winter Park, Florida, and a number of nieces and nephews scattered across the county whom he held very dear in his heart.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 18, 2021, at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, 1801 W. Brooks St, Norman, OK 73069.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to St. Stephen's United Methodist Church is requested.