Roderick Moore Obituary

Roderick "Rod" Cyril Moore of Greensboro, NC, was called to heaven on September 14, 2025, after a long journey with pancreatic cancer. He wanted to be remembered for being a helpful, kind, and loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend to all who knew him.

Born in 1949 in Cornelia, Georgia, he grew up surrounded by family on his mother's side, who he described as funny and "not quite right". From them, he gained a sense of humor early on that carried him through life. After graduating from high school in Cornelia, Rod attended Troy State University and earned a degree in English and Social Science in 1971. At the urging of a nurse anesthetist friend, he decided to attend nursing school and graduated with his RN degree in 1974 from Columbus College. He soon moved to Durham to attend school at Duke University to become a Certified Nurse Anesthetist. He graduated from there in 1978 and worked for five years at Duke before moving to Wilmington to work at New Hanover Hospital. His dedication to the profession led him to be active in the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NCANA) for many years. In Wilmington, he met the love of his life, Linda Eupizi, also a nurse anesthetist. Rod's supervisor arranged for Rod to ride with three other CRNAs to an NCANA meeting in Charlotte. Rod and Linda, newly introduced, rode in the back of a VW bug all the way. Rod supplied the icebreaker for the drive, a steady two-hour supply of jokes already in his arsenal, and Linda was smitten. The match-making plan for that road trip worked; Rod and Linda were happily married for 42 years, since July 23, 1983.

While working in Wilmington, Rod served as Treasurer then President (1995 – 1996) of the North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Between the hours lost commuting back and forth from the beach for meetings, combined with the endless filling of the gas tank, they decided in 1987 to settle in Greensboro where Rod took a job at Moses Cone Hospital. When Women's Hospital of Greensboro (WHOG) opened, he began working there in 1992, and it was there that Rod truly found his calling. The culture of the hospital gave him the time to connect with patients, easing their fears with humor, attentive listening and steady reassurance while providing expert care. He especially enjoyed interacting with parents and families of newborn babies. Physicians, nurses, and staff all had the utmost respect for Rod. He retired from nursing in 2018 after 26 years at WHOG.

Linda and Rod loved to travel to Las Vegas to gamble, where video poker was his forte. He once said anywhere there was a casino, he would go. Later trips with Linda included Lake Tahoe, Reno, Canada, Italy, Ireland, and Iceland, even though on some of those trips, sadly, he couldn't seem to find a casino.

Growing up in Cornelia, Rod's father "changed cars like he changed clothes", but Rod really learned to admire cars when his Aunt Bea owned a 1968 Lincoln Continental and would let him drive it when she visited--if he washed it first. Through carefully polishing the hood to a shine, Rod developed his lifelong fondness for that car and later in life, became the proud owner of his own 1968 slab-side Lincoln Continental with suicide doors. He lovingly restored it twice, showing it frequently at car shows and winning numerous awards on the local and national level. In 2000, he won Best of Show in Washington, DC and in 2024, Best of Show in Morgantown, PA. Rod was past president of the General Greene Chapter of the Antique Auto Club of America. He also served on the North Carolina Region of the AACA board as treasurer.

Rod was instrumental in developing the Cars and Coffee event in Greensboro, a monthly gathering for car enthusiasts of all kinds to admire each other's vehicles, swap advice, and share their love of automobiles. The event has steadily grown over the years, with some 700 cars attending recently. Rod played a key role in securing sponsors for these events, with proceeds supporting Victory Junction, a year-round camp facility for children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions. So far this year, enough money has been donated to the camp to sponsor a child for a full week of camp. That cause was especially dear to Rod, and it brought a tear to his eye whenever he thought of the good it does for those children.

At home, Rod was very happy to have developed a small, wooded area next to his home, Swan Song, that provided a respite for neighborhood walkers to sit and enjoy the woods or for his grandsons' occasional Cub Scout overnights. The area was close enough for the boys to come inside if needed but allowed them to enjoy nature in a special place for a night. Rod's generosity was appreciated by many.

Of course, anyone who knew Rod knew that humor and a vast collection of jokes were his trademarks. His brain was a file cabinet for thousands of varieties-corny, bawdy, hysterical, witty, always delivered with seasoned perfection, always endearing and pitched perfectly for the audience. He loved to laugh and make others laugh. Those that loved one of his jokes would often make him repeat it so they could learn it and nail the punch line.

Rod felt very proud and blessed to have a tight, close-knit family. He leaves behind his dear wife Linda, his sister Lynn, his loving son Christopher and wife Catherine, and his beloved grandsons, Logan and Mason. He was very proud of them all and their many accomplishments. Spending weekends with his family was always the highlight of his life. Besides his family, he and Linda found great strength and support through their church, Saint Pius X, and cherished the community they found there.

A mass of Christian burial will be held on October 2 at 11 a.m. at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 2210 N. Elm St, Greensboro, NC 27408. A reception will follow the mass and a private interment will be held after the reception.

In lieu of flowers, Rod requested that friends make a donation to charity. Donations may be made in Rod's honor to Victory Junction at https://victoryjunction.org/, Victory Junction, 4500 Adam's Way, Randleman, NC 27317 or the Duke Cancer Institute, Pancreatic & GI Oncology Fund, at https://www.gifts.duke.edu/dci?designation=3912640. For those prefer to donate by check, those can be made out to "Duke University" with "Fund Code 3912640" in the memo line. The mailing address is the Duke Cancer Development Office, 300 W. Morgan Street, Ste 1000, Durham, NC 27701.