MARIE LOVETTE MOORE

1924-2021

10-10-24

MARIE LOVETTE

MOORE

(SIS TOBLER)

1924-2021

Marie died peacefully at home in Houston of natural causes on March 28, 2021. She was born in Lake Village, Arkansas, on October 10, 1924, daughter of Clyde William Lovette, who gave her the world, and Marie Selman Lovette, who shared it with her. She attended St.Mary’s Academy in Lake Village, where she was first exposed to children of other ethnic cultures. At Lakeside Junior High School she was a drum majorette, Queen of the Tomato Festival in Monticello, Arkansas, and won the State Competition in both violin and piano.

Her education continued at Arlington Hall Preparatory School for Girls in Virginia, Miss Semples Junior College for Women in New York, the National University of Mexico, and the University of Texas at Austin, where she first encountered the field of cultural anthropology. Back in New York she was hired as a Special Service Girl by Pan American Airlines. She served in that capacity until her engagement and marriage to a New York oral surgeon. Living thereafter in New York City for twenty-four years, she began a self-directed study of art history at the Metropolitan Museum and of anthropology at the Museum of Natural History.

She pursued a career in art history, archeology and cultural anthropology, lecturing at numerous clubs and service organizations in New York, New Jersey, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas. She conducted classes in Houston at the Museum of Natural Science, The Women’s Institute, Houston Community College, The Jewish Community Center and the Houston Public Library. Most enjoyably she lectured on study cruises for the World Discoverer and Renaissance Cruise Lines.

She wrote numerous articles about her travels for The Houston Post, The Boston Globe, The Mercury News of San Jose, CA, and the Delta Democrat Times of Greenville, MS.

Earlier in her career she was active in fund raising efforts for the Temple of Abu Simbel in Egypt, and for the summer music festival in

Sand Point, Idaho.

Marie was pre-deceased by her parents, first husband Jim Spelman, DDS, and second husband John Tobler. She is survived by husband of seventeen years, Barry Moore, and his daughter and son-in-law Clara and Ward Hendon and their children Maggie, George and Grace of Santa Fe, NM; brother-in-law Harvin Moore and wife Mary Jensen, and his son Harvin IV and niece-in-law Janet Moore of Houston and their two children, and Marian and husband Chris Casey of Dripping Springs, Texas and their three children.

Marie lived a rich, textured and happy life full of travel and friends. A memorial service will be held in Houston in the near future, to be announced in the Houston Chronicle.

For those wishing to make a memorial gift please consider the following:

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Marie Lovette Moore Collection

6565 Hermann Park Drive Houston, TX 77030 Planned Parenthood

Gulf Coast

4600 Gulf Freeway Houston TX 77023