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Penny Moore

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[May 19, 2009]  Penny Louise Werschey Moore, 62, a Lincoln native who lived in California, went to be with the Lord on Friday night, May 15, 2009, surrounded by her family, after losing a long battle with cancer.

A celebration of life will be at a later date.

Mrs. Moore had a 25-year career in teaching in California.

She is survived by her husband; one son, Erik (and Jill) Moore of Goleta, Calif.; one daughter, Kerri (and James) Shepherd of Hesperia, Calif.; three granddaughters, Kassondra, Jordan and Samantha; three brothers, Mike (and Sue) Werschey of Lincoln, John (and Dixie) Werschey of Springfield and David (and Sharyn) Werschey of Sparks, Nev.; and two sisters, Taffy (and Bill) DeJarnette of St. Joseph and Kalyn (and Jay) Berglin of Lincoln.

She graduated from Lincoln Community High School in 1964.

Penny met her future husband in August 1964, while he was visiting relatives in Lincoln with whom Penny was employed. That fall she moved to Sacramento, Calif., where she took a job as a telephone operator for Pacific Bell. After settling in California, Penny made contact with Terry. They soon started dating and were married the following year. Their son, Erik, was born in 1967 and their daughter, Kerri, in 1970. The family lived in Atwater, Calif., until 1972, when they moved to Southern California to pursue job opportunities.

Penny stayed home and took care of her children until they were of school age. She then earned her associate degree at Cerritos College, followed by a bachelor's degree and a master's in communicative disorders from Cal State Long Beach, as well as teaching credentials in communications handicapped and general education. She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society.

Her teaching career began with special education in Montebello (LA Unified School District), followed by Willow Elementary and Mary Bragg Elementary (ABC Unified School District). After moving to Loma Linda, Calif., in 1988, she taught at Terrace View Elementary (Colton Joint Unified School District).

She retired from teaching in June 2004 and was a member of the Retired California Teachers Association.

The couple moved to Hesperia, Calif., shortly before her retirement to start a new phase of their life.

She joined the Red Hat Society in 2005, with its Roxie's Red Hat Rebels chapter in her area. She was proud to be a member and greatly enjoyed the company of the women she met through that organization. They became some of her best friends on the high desert.

Not content to rest on her laurels, Penny took classes in desert ecology at Victor Valley College in Victorville. This helped her to better appreciate the desert community around her and to develop her backyard landscape design, of which she was very proud.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the American Cancer Society.