Randolph Donn Moore of Gilroy, CA passed away in San Jose on Sunday, February 23, 2020 of natural causes. Randy was born in New Prague, Minnesota, May 13, 1954 to Donn and Marcella Moore.  When he was five years old, he and his family boarded a train for California bringing only one suitcase each.  They settled in the town of Placerville.

Randy treasured his memories of growing up in Gold Country.  Many of his summer days were spent hiking in the local mountains and climbing from tree to tree through the ponderosa pines. While out in the forest for much of the day, he delighted in telling how he snacked on wild berries and drank cool, clear stream water, so he could remain outdoors, on his own, until it was time to go home for dinner. When Randy wasn't out in the woods, he was home listening to his Beatles albums, playing little league baseball, seeing a movie in the downtown theater, swimming in the community pool, or reading, and rereading, one of his first or early edition DC superhero comic books, with Spider-Man being his all-time favorite.

As a teenager, Randy attended El Dorado High School, where he enjoyed being on the basketball and wrestling teams. He graduated with the class of 1972. During those summers, he worked on enhancing his strength and stamina for sports by working for the Mayflower Moving Company. There he had many hair-raising, but ultimately comical, experiences driving the big moving trucks on the high, narrow, winding roads of Highways 49 and 50, and moving large pieces of heavy furniture down the long stairways of stilted houses throughout the mountainous region. One of his favorite days was moving the beautiful furnishings, including a grand piano, of the mother, Frances and brother, George, of the famous pianist and entertainer, Liberace.

After graduation, Randy moved to Phoenix to attend DeVry Institute of Technology. He worked part-time for Sears, Roebuck and Co. as a customer service agent, which came with its own set of unique experiences. He kidded about being able to fry an egg on the black leather passenger seat of his old 1960 Galaxy 500 on the way to school each day, as the car had no air conditioning, and even the morning temperatures in Phoenix could be sweltering. Other favorite stories revolved around sharing a tiny apartment with three fellow students, two of whom were also named Randy, living day after day on huge, one dollar burritos from a local restaurant, and once, naively slathering baby oil all over his body, to get a good tan, before spending a 110 degree Memorial Day tubing down the Salt River. That experience got him a blistering sunburn so severe that he could barely wear a shirt for two weeks. In hindsight, he chuckled about how he probably should have sought medical attention for that one!

In December 1974, Randy completed DeVry's program for electronic technicians and came back to California to begin a 39 year career in aerospace at Lockheed in Sunnyvale. As a technician, and later in his career, as a quality engineer, he thoroughly enjoyed, and respected the knowledge of the people he worked alongside. The challenges and importance of the intriguing projects he worked on never failed to capture his imagination and motivate further learning in the field of aerospace.

In his twenty year class reunion yearbook, Randy described himself as "Still a big sports fan, music lover and occasional guitar picker." He wrote, about his computer building hobby and noted that his wife would likely refer to it as an "obsession," because he could disappear into his computer room for hours on end. He also shared, "Middle age has definitely set in, if I'm not commuting, working or sleeping, I'm cutting the grass, taking the kid to see Disney on Ice, or building some monstrosity on my table saw. It's so typically middle class but it's still a lot of fun, especially doing things with the kid."

As a husband and father of two daughters, Randy's devotion to his family was apparent in every way. He was generous with his love, support, knowledge and time. He was outwardly proud of his family and enjoyed spending time with each of them, whether it was at home, out and about pursuing their interests, or on one of many memorable road trips and vacations taken over the years. Weekend mornings were typically a time he insisted on making a big breakfast for the family. Afterward, he enjoyed sitting around the kitchen table chatting with everyone about a vast variety of topics before spending some time on the latest home project.

Making the transition to retirement nearly six years ago came rather easily to Randy.  He continued to pursue his interests in science, technology, music, woodworking, cooking and traveling.  Recently he enjoyed trips with family members to New Orleans, Oregon, Yellowstone, New York City, Niagara Falls, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio, visiting special friends and relatives along the way.

Randy was as solid as the granite mountains he hiked through as a child. His strength of character resonated in everything he said and did.  He truly enjoyed his life.  He took it one day at a time and tried to never get too worked up about anything.  He deeply appreciated the wonders of the world and the people and opportunities that came his way, but above all, he loved his family.  He often remarked, "My life turned out much better than I ever expected."

The adoring family Randy leaves behind includes his wife of forty years, Phyllis, his daughters, Sarah and Laura, his daughter-in-law, Becca and his grandson Jonah. He will also be lovingly remembered by extended family members including Adeline Rossi, Yvonne and Samantha Barber, Sal Escamilla, and Leonard and Nancy Glawatz, in addition to his sisters, Jeralynn (Tom) Faltynski and Vicki Allison. Randy also leaves behind several nieces, nephews, long-time friends and neighbors. He was preceded in death by his parents, Donn and Marcy Moore, brother Gregg Moore, father-in-law, Salvatore Rossi, and brother-in-law, Hugh Barber.

Services have been postponed until a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to a charity of your choice.