Charlee Lucille (Coote) Moore, co-founder of Bob’s Red Mill, passed away peacefully in Milwaukie, Oregon of natural causes Sunday morning, October 7th, surrounded by family and loved ones. She was 90 years old.
This remarkable woman started life on March 11, 1928 in Englewood, Colorado, the second daughter of Charles and Cora (Triplett) Coote. Her sister died in infancy.
A year later, the family moved to Huntington Park in Southern California where she spent her youth, graduating from Huntington Park High School in 1946.
In 1952 she met her future husband and lifelong companion, Bob Moore, on a blind date arranged by coworkers at the U.S. Electrical Motors Company. They married a year later on March 14, 1953 and settled down to start a family.
In 1958 Bob decided Southern California was no place to raise a family so he bought a service station and tow service in Mammoth Lakes, California. By now the mother of 3 rambunctious boys, Charlee followed her husband from the glamorous big city life of Los Angeles to the quiet solitude of Mammoth Lakes for a year-long adventure in the High Sierras.
After a rather unsuccessful year in Mammoth, Bob decided to try his hand at the country life and moved the family to a small, 5 acre farm south of Sacramento. It was on the farm that Charlee would begin a lifestyle of healthy eating that would prove to have far-reaching benefits for her family as well as the rest of the world. She learned to bake whole wheat bread and put the family on a diet of organic, natural, whole grain foods.
After six years of farm life the family moved to Redding, California. By now her sons were very active teenagers. Though it was not in her nature to be especially adventurous, she nonetheless came along on brush buggy rides to the top of Mount Bally and water ski camping trips on Shasta Lake just to share in the lives of her husband and sons.
In 1974 the seeds were planted in Redding that would eventually become the family legacy of producing healthy whole grain foods. Founded on principles of eating that Charlee embraced, the family started a small mill grinding flour for the local community. A real family endeavor, Charlee packaged flour by hand for 50 cents an hour to help get the mill up and running.
In 1978 Bob and Charlee “retired”, turning the mill over to their son Bob and moving to Milwaukie, Oregon. It wasn’t more than a few months after the move that the chance discovery of a small abandoned mill nearby found them both back in the flour milling business as Bob’s Red Mill. Charlee worked closely with Bob getting the mill up and running—packaging flour, helping customers in the retail store and keeping the books in addition to her active role as President in the local women’s Kiwanis club.
With the huge success of their milling business, Charlee and Bob were in a position to fund numerous philanthropic endeavors focusing on research and education around the important role good nutrition has in our society. Financial gifts were made to establish the OHSU Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness at Oregon Health & Sciences University; the OSU Bob and Charlee Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Preventive Health at Oregon State University; and the Food As Medicine Everyday community hands-on cooking classes at the National University of Natural Medicine, where Charlee’s Kitchen was established as a tribute to Charlee’s dedication to educate people about the importance of good nutrition.
Charlee was a very spiritual woman who took comfort throughout her life that the world was playing out according to God’s Plan and that we would all be together again one day.
She leaves behind her loving husband of 65 years, Bob; sons Ken, Bob Jr. and David; daughters-in-law Dora, Barbara, Ashleigh and Terry; 9 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Charlee Moore to the OHSU Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition & Wellness.
OHSU Foundation
Mail Stop 45
P.O. Box 4000
Portland, Oregon 97208-9852
If giving by check, in the memo line, please write “in memory of Charlee Moore supporting the OHSU Bob and Charlee Moore Institute.
To give online, go to: https://www.onwardohsu.org/donation