Stephen W. Moore

Stephen Warren Moore died peacefully in his home on Saturday, April 18, 2026, with his family at his side. He was 78.

Steve was born to the late Claude and Nancy Moore in Staunton, Virginia on December 26, 1947. 

He never did care much for birthdays. He did, however, care a lot about people. He attended Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, where he excelled in baseball and football and served as senior class president of the Class of 1966. He attended Randolph-Macon College where he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha. He was a four-year starter at third base for the baseball team. He played one year of collegiate football, during which his unique talent for punt-blocking earned him the nickname “Bronco”. In 1970, he completed his degree in Biology. His study of the natural world continued for the rest of his life.

After college, Steve began a thirty-year teaching career. Ultimately, he returned to Lee High where he taught Biology, Earth Science, and Chemistry. Mr. Moore loved science and he loved teaching it. But, for many students, he taught so much more. His “Life Days” were an opportunity for students and teacher alike to step back from formulas and equations to ponder the grander questions of life. And if you have not heard “The Bat Story”, you should.

Coach Moore was just as much a teacher on the baseball field and tennis court as he was in the classroom. From Little League to the varsity level, he taught sports as a way to bring out the best in yourself and others rather than simply to win on the scoreboard. After his college sports career, he took up softball as a player and umpire and became a fixture in the Staunton racquetball community.

Steve left over fifty volumes of written journals spanning five decades and filled with poetry, drawings, and wisdom. They record his encounters with fish, birds, and especially people. If you ever met Steve Moore, there is a good chance he wrote about it. A compilation of excerpts, Life Days, was published in 2013.

Above all else, Steve had a deep love and devotion to his family. He is survived by his sister, Vickie; his first wife, Gloria Lutz Michael; and three sons, Nathan, Daniel, and Joseph. He is preceded in death by his brother, Matthew and his second wife, Marian Stanley. He considered his role as a father to be his highest calling and generously embraced his three daughters-in-law: Kethera, Jocelyn, and Hunter. Finally, he found tremendous joy in his grandchildren: Eva, Zelie, Lucia, Elliott, Samuel, and Phoebe.

At the end of the day – and at the beginning of the year – he was a Beluga.

The family will receive visitors from 3:00 - 5:00 PM on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Henry Funeral Home in Staunton. 

A Celebration of Life will be held in the coming weeks. 

Henry Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.