Obituary of William J. Moore

Middlesex - William J. Moore, 94, died Monday, July 25, 2016 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville. A child of the depression and a veteran of WWII, Bill was a self-made man. He loved people in general and was a creative man with a special sense of humor. A photographer by trade, Bill was a man of a thousand faces - not his, yours. For decades, he photographed the yearbook and senior portraits for Middlesex, Plainfield and Westfield High Schools. As a wedding and bar/bat mitzvah photographer, he spent more weekends in church and temple than many clergymen. A strong advocate for the towns where he lived and worked, bill had a great affection for the staff and co-members of its Chamber of Commerce. In Middlesex, he chaired the Zoning Board, Borough Redevelopment Committee and Middlesex Republican Party. The common theme to his civic activity was the promotion of fairness to and growth of small business. During WWII, he served with the United States Army on Normandy Beach, France, Belgium and Germany. After the war, he married Ruth Hanlon of Bayonne. Bill and his "bride" lived in Middlesex for 67 years. Predeceased by the love of his life who died in 2009, Ruth; sister, Ruth Moore Godthaab and nephew, Bob. Surviving are his two sons, James David and wife Cathy (Donovan) of Mahopac, NY and William Jr. and wife Kathy (Poremba - Hallett) of Silver Spring, MD; six grandchildren, David, Elizabeth, Kevin, Peter, Jamie and Ryan and two great grandchildren, Owen and Theo. Bill's greatest joy was to gather his entire family together, swap stories, be nosy, dispense advice and laugh late into the night - and of course, reminisce using the many photos he took. A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday July 30, 2016 from 2-4PM in Middlesex Funeral Home, 528 Bound Brook Road, Middlesex NJ 08846. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517 Topeka, Kansas 66675