Mr. Oliver Moore, (AKA: Poppa, Big Poppa, Pop Oliver, Mr. Oliver) celebrated his 100th birthday with friends and family at the Forest Country Club on January 13.
Mr. Oliver was born in Lake on January 24, 1918. He was number four of 10 children to Joseph Moore with nine of those children with wife, Bessie (Brooks) Moore. Including Mr. Oliver there are four surviving siblings in which two have already reached the centennial milestone. Mr. Oliver has eight children, 17 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. He was married to his love, Mary E. (Gammage) Moore, for over 61 years.
Mr. Oliver’s physical health appears to be that of any 70-year-old and he is still sharp and responsible. He enjoys and is very good at checkers. He loves singing with friends and family, and is in the choir as a lifetime member of the Galilee MB Church. One of his favorite songs is “If I Could Count My Blessings” in which he performed.
Mr. Oliver, since a very young man, had been dedicated to “shape note” singing with the Solomon Union Singing Convention, but time and age has brought about a few changes. At times he will catch a baseball game or western movie, which he loved in his junior years, on television.
Back in the day, Mr. Oliver would have been playing baseball, listening to the music of Lawrence Welk or telling ghost stories. On the first Saturday in May, Mr. Oliver is said to have watched the Kentucky Derby and solicited the children to pick out horses they thought to be winners.
Mr. Oliver was a skillful carpenter, an automobile mechanic and is a retiree from Little Princess Foods. He was taught work ethics early as a lad when he would work with his dad hauling pulp wood and building barns. Mr. Oliver helped with the construction of Highway 501 as well as the construction of the bridge overpasses on Interstate 20 between Forest and Jackson.
Mr. Oliver was employed with the construction of the Mississippi Levee from Memphis, TN to Baton Rouge, LA where he learned to weld working as a welding helper. He once purchased an auto mechanic book to help build his confidence and increase his knowledge in the fixing of different parts of the automobile.
Mr. Oliver built the family’s four-room house and later, as the family grew, he renovated it to six bedrooms and later added an indoor toilet. He was the known handyman for the community and the surrounding areas. It was said by a family member “if it can be fixed, Oliver will fix it.”
There are three important lessons Mr. Oliver has given his children that can be beneficial to anyone. The lessons are: work hard; do not complain, because nobody wants to hear it; and if you don’t go to church on Sunday, don’t think about attending social events during the week.
When asked about Mr. Oliver’s thoughts on the Civil Rights Era there was no elaboration by any of the siblings. This leds us to believe that, because of the “times”, Mr. Oliver was busy staying alive and caring for his family.
Mr. Oliver currently spends his days with friends at the New Outlooks Adult Daycare Center in Morton. He is enjoying playing checkers and singing and anything else that piques his curiosity.
The 100th year celebration was organized by his children and grandchildren. The Forest Country Club was beautifully decorated using a Mardi Gras theme of “Let The Good Time Roll.”
Mr. Oliver’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren made a grand march entrance twirling purple, green and gold handkerchiefs. There was a video presentation chronicling his life that played throughout the event.
The meal, prepared by Felecia Crudup, was delicious and colorful and fit for a king.
Mr. Oliver’s guests included Solomon Union Shape Note Singers, nieces and nephews of five of his siblings, Galilee MB Church and community, cousins and many friends. Special acknowledgement was given to a great nephew and his caretaker.
