Grace Louise Wood Moore

Grace Louise (Wood) Moore was born in Augusta, Michigan to Leon Dewain Wood and Ruth Marie Harvey Wood on September 13, 1920. She was later joined by her sister, Helen, in 1922, and her brother, Duane, in 1926.

Grace was educated at various country schools in Michigan. After graduating from high school in 1938 Grace had hoped to do some traveling, so she joined the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES), a United States Navy organization. Unfortunately, her travels took her no further than working as a yeoman in Washington D.C. She was honorably discharged in 1946 and then enrolled at the University of Michigan where she earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in Anthropology. Grace was inspired by one of her professors who helped her realize how anthropological study might serve to break down prejudices and conflicts. She was honored to receive a Fulbright scholarship to study Pygmy culture in the Philippines after WWII ended, where she lived and worked in the tropical rain forest with the Mindanao tribe.

While at the University of Michigan Grace met her future husband, Frank Moore, a Central College alumnus. Frank and Grace were married in New Haven, Connecticut on December 19, 1955. They lived in Connecticut and, after years of teaching and research at Yale University, they retired and moved to Perry, Iowa in 1974. Frank and Grace became involved with Central College and have contributed to the Geisler Library and other building projects and have rooms named in their honor in the Weller Center for Business and International Studies and the Maytag Student Center. They became members of the 1853 Club, the Cornerstone Society and the Central Club. They have created scholarships in honor of Frank’s father and Grace’s mother. They also supported the Dr. Frank and Grace Moore Chair in Anthropology. In 2001 Grace was honored with Central’s Honorary Alumna designation.

Grace was a life-long learner and a voracious reader. She was studying genetics while in assisted living but had to give it up because the book was just too large and heavy for her to hold every day. She was always up to date on the news and enjoyed debating politics or any other subject. She was a generous donor believing it was her duty to help make life better for others. Grace was a football fan and cheered for the Kansas City Chiefs and the University of Iowa and Central College football teams.

Grace left this world peacefully on January 31, 2026. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leon & Ruth, her baby brother, Duane, in 1927, her husband, Frank, in 2009 and her sister, Helen, in 2021. Grace’s final wish was that her body be donated to the University of Iowa Anatomical Donations Program for study. She will be interred beside Frank at Richland Memorial Cemetery in Guthrie County, Iowa at a later date. Donations in Grace’s name may be made to: Iowa PBS - 635 Corporate Dr. P.O. Box 6400, Johnston, IA 50131 or Perry Public Library - 1101 Willis Ave., Perry, IA 50220

Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home in Perry, Iowa assisted with arrangements.