Arlen Moore
July 9, 1931 – March 13, 2017
Arlen Carl Moore, 85, of Sweet Home died quietly in his own home March 13, 2017 after an almost decade-long battle with Parkinson’s disease, followed by a dramatic stroke a week before his passing. He was born July 9, 1931 in Randle, Wash., the son of Aaron and Katherine Moore and the husband of Ruby Geraldine Moore (Gerri).
He grew up in Keno, hunting, fishing and saving his lunch money to buy model airplane kits.
After high school graduation, Mr. Moore moved to a logging camp in Shevlin, where he worked as a chain saw mechanic. While there he met his wife of 66 years, Ruby Geraldine Beaver.
After marrying Gerri in 1951, the Moores moved to Sweet Home, where Mr. Moore worked for Willamette Industries for almost 40 years as a forklift operator. He prided himself in being as efficient as possible and not having people wait on him.
Mr. Moore ran Langmack Airport for Dr. Langmack for over 30 years. He had his own hangar at the airport, which allowed him to store and build various gliders and airplanes he owned and built throughout his lifetime.
Mr. Moore lost his right eye in a forklift accident while working at Willamette Industries, which made it an amazing feat to even hold a pilot’s license.
He built various flightworthy aircraft of his own design over his aviation years. In 1966 he finished building the “SS-1,” his own custom-designed and the first aluminum glider in the Northwest. He took this homemade glider to over 18,000 feet in altitude and flight spans of over 200 miles in single flights. He earned Gold, Silver and C badges from the Soaring Society of America while flying the SS-1.
Mr. Moore pioneered the soaring site at the Alvord Desert, a dry lake at the base of the Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon with the SS-1, which currently resides in the US Southwest Soaring Museum as part of a historical display denoting an important part of western United States soaring history.
In 1982 Mr. Moore finished building the “SS-3,” a single-passenger prop-driven plane of his own design. He flew the SS-3 for over a decade before retiring from Willamette Industries and moving to Sisters, where he also retired from flying. Over his aviation years, Mr. Moore was featured on the front cover of various soaring magazines for his accomplishments.
Above all, he was an avid builder, building various musical instruments, racing boats, canoes, kayaks, model airplanes and gliders over his lifetime.
He also had a love for photography and managed to incorporate his own photo dark room into his single car garage with all of his other projects.
Mr. Moore prided himself on being self-taught in what he built over the years.
Over his lifetime, he was offered a number of jobs in the aviation field, including teaching aeronautics at OSU and even a position at Boeing, designing planes. He declined both.
Mr. Moore is survived by his wife, Gerri Moore of Sweet Home; daughter Jan McDonald, also of Sweet Home; brothers Terry Moore of Eugene and Darcel Moore of Hawthorne, Calif.; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Aaron and Katherine Moore; son Craig Moore; brother Alvin Moore; and sisters Bonnie and Barbara.
A service was held March 18, with burial at Gilliland cemeteryy.
Memorial contributions can be made in his name to the Soaring Society of America.
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.