“My dad had the most beautiful tattoo of a butterfly and he used to tell me all kinds of stories about that butterfly. I was always intrigued by it. The next thing I knew, I had a tattoo,” Moore said as she pulled up her shirt sleeve to reveal a fresh, small butterfly on her wrist. She laughed as she pulled out her iPhone to show a picture of her with the tattoo artist. “He kept saying, ‘I can’t believe this, I’ve never done this on anybody this old before’.”

Moore was born in Detroit on Jan. 12, 1922. Her mother was a homemaker and her father was a representative for a company in Detroit. She and her parents moved to Laurium when she was 4 years old, then to Marquette when she was 9 years old.

“When we were 9 or 10 years old, in the winter we would start running with our sleds on Front Street on the corner where the fire house is, then belly flop and ride all the way down the hill. We had the right of way in those days. If the cars came along they just had to wait,” Moore said with a smile. This adventurous, vivacious spirit would continue on throughout her life.

The 1940s were a busy decade for Moore. In 1941 she was Marquette’s Winter Queen during a winter festival the city held. In June of 1943 she graduated from Northern Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in education. In August she married Bob Moore, who had joined the Marine Corps as a pilot. Shortly after, they moved to California and lived there for a year and a half, then moved back to Marquette. Around 1945 she landed a job at The Mining Journal, first in the editorial department, then in the business office.

A recent photo of Shirley Moore, who turned 100 years old on Jan. 12. (Photo provided by Shirley Moore)

She and Bob were both musically talented. She played the violin, and he played in the city band for decades. They loved jazz music and enjoyed seeking out live music. In the early 1950s, they bought an insurance agency in Marquette. Eventually, they sold the agency and Bob went to work for Northwestern Mutual, where he would work until he retired.

In the 1960s the Deer Hunters Widows group was formed. The group consisted of Moore and three of her friends. “The men all were deer hunters. We four got together and decided we were tired of sitting home while they were out having fun. So we formed this little group. We had a ball,” Moore said. Over the years, they traveled to England, Germany, Switzerland, France and Mexico. Her favorite place they traveled was London, as it is rich with history.

When she wasn’t traveling, she liked to craft, go for walks in the woods, and cook. Fancy dinners were her favorite thing to make. “The more complicated the better,” she said with determination. She and Bob also liked to bird watch. In time, they got so good at identifying birds they could recognize a bird by its song.

A volunteer program at the hospital in Marquette had Moore working in several different parts of the building in the early 1970s. Eventually, she and a good friend of hers were appointed as co-managers of a brand new gift shop. They worked hard to get it going and maintain the business. Also in the ’70s, she and Bob were advisers to separate fraternal organizations at NMU. They both enjoyed their advisory positions and felt they were helpful to college kids who needed guidance. She was also involved in several clubs and organizations throughout the years including the Junior Women’s Service Club, Century Club, and the Marquette Beautification and Restoration Committee.

In the 1980s, she and Bob moved to Florida and lived there for five years. They built a house in a gated community on a golf course. “I ended up with a snake in my living room. I think that’s what started me thinking ‘oh boy, let’s go home’,” Moore said. “Bob was sitting in the living room one day and I walked in and I said, ‘how would you like it if we moved back to Marquette?’ He put the paper down and he said, ‘I thought you’d never ask.’ So two weeks later we were packed up and on our way back to Marquette,” she said.

Today, Moore likes to kick back and read books. She enjoys art and is a big supporter of local artists. At one time, she donated 47 paintings she had acquired to the DeVos Art Museum. She has one daughter who lives in Minneapolis and one granddaughter.

“It didn’t matter how old I was, or where we lived, I was always happy. I always had nice friends and have wonderful memories,” Moore said.