Notes from a Talk Given at Avagail Taylor Moore's funeral

When I was 17 years old my great grandma, Avagail Taylor Moore, passed away. I remember Grandma Moore and her little black miniature poodle, Sheba. I remember visiting her at her house in Utah a few times when I visited my grandma, and I remember that she could cook well. I always especially liked her ‘pumpkin pudding,’ which was really a pumpkin pie without the crust. I also remember Grandma Moore living with her daughter, my Grandma Faun, when she was older, and I remember that she liked to watch basketball games on tv. I remember giving her a big brown and white conch sea shell as a gift once, and she had kept it and the family gave it back to me after she passed away, and I still have it. And I thought that her name was so cool – like Abigail, but still unique (I always thought it would be cute to have twin girls named Aurora and Avagail and call them Rori and Avi).

Although I loved Grandma Moore, I didn’t know much about her life until I listened to a talk that my dad gave at her funeral. I learned that day that my great grandma’s mother died when she was just a girl, and she quite school and stayed home to take care of her brothers. Wow! I just remember thinking that it was so interesting to learn about her life that day, so I asked my dad if he still had the notes from the talk he gave. He let me copy them, so I thought I’d share them here. (I wish I had a recording of the actual talk, but the notes are the next best thing). Thanks, Dad!

Steven John Chidester’s notes for the talk that he gave at the funeral of his grandmother, Avagail Taylor Moore on 13 February 1999 in Loa, Wayne County, Utah. In a notebook dated 30 January 1999, in the possession of Steven Chidester of San Diego, California as of January 2010:

“Grandma Moore, Avagail Taylor Moore, lived a good long time. This gentle soul bridged a time span that to her great grandchildren seems like an eternity. So long that we came to think of her as permanent – a fixture – a pillar of the family.

During her lifetime, the world changed a great deal – made huge progress in many ways and changed in others that we might not thing of as progress.

This pillar was set on a solid foundation. She learned to work at an early age when family circumstances forced her to withdraw from school as a pre-teen to assume responsibilities for her family. After the death of her mother and marriage of her older sister, Grandma became the woman of the household at the age of 12. She was a surrogate mother to brothers scarcely __ years younger than her. Her brothers Pratt and Harold never failed to acknowledge this. Mother’s Day cards sent even this past year. Supported by her grandmothers Reese [Sarah Jane John (Rees)], Taylor + Bryan [Annie Sophia Brian (Taylor)].

She cooked and cleaned and kept home – baking bread most everyday for the large family that mobilized every set of hands to run the house and farm.

On assuming this new role, she was forced to forego hope of attending high school. She carried the regret of never having gone to school and graduated throughout her life.

I may refer to her as unschooled – but never as uneducated. She was self-taught in later life and read avidly. Each year at Christmas I often received a gift subscription to her favorite magazine, National Geographic, which she studied rather than read.

When in fourth grade I had to learn the capitols of all 50 states, I was delighted to find that she already knew them.
‘Grandma, what’s the capitol of Wisconsin?’
‘South Carolina?’
‘New Hampshire?’

Although we teased her about our needing to eat with one hand while holding on to the plate with the other for fear she would grab the plate and wash it before we could finish our mashed potatoes, we respected the fact that she applies her full efforts to tidiness, cleanliness and a job well done.

In later life she served a mission for the church, then returned to continue work in the mission home. She served her mission at the same time I served mine. We exchanged letters and missionary experiences.

Although she worked her whole life and served tirelessly, her most enduring trait was her love of family. We visited when we could and before fail health made it difficult she – us. She spent several days at our house 13 years ago when our 3 daughters were 4, 2, and less than 1 year. Our girls were then already a rambunctious handful, and I fear we wore her out. After she returned, mom called to say Grandma would probably not be coming to stay with us again. When I asked why, she said that after returning from a week at our house Grandma had awakened in the night, hyperventilating, in a sweat and said she dreamed she was pregnant and giving birth to one baby after another all night long.

I was present when Grandma passed away. After the family had gathered in prayer and each had paid their goodbyes, she tarried with us for a time and later, after years of struggle with health problems, her breathing slowed and she peacefully slipped to the other side.

All present loved her dearly, but none would bid her stay. As the breath of life left her body, I envisioned her beautiful spirit, unencumbered by the limitations of age and ill health, being welcomed by those she loved who have gone on before.

Grandma Moore lived a good long time. So long that we came to think of her as eternal. And we should still think of her that way – for that is what she is. It is only our points of view that lack a clear eternal perspective.

Hers is the prime example of one truly endured valiantly to the end. We would be fortunate indeed, if at the end of our days it could be said we had done as well.”