Joan Marks Moore, a devoted wife, mother, scientist, and community volunteer, passed away on April 23, 2026, at the age of 94.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Jo spent her early childhood there before her family relocated when she was five due to her father’s work as a civil engineer with the Tennessee Valley Authority. That move took the Marks family to Fountain City, outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. The family later settled in Houston, Texas, where she attended high school and met her future husband, Michael Stanley Moore. The two shared classes in Algebra, Latin, Physics, and Band—early signs of the intellectual partnership that would shape their lives together.
Jo earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Colorado-Boulder, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, an honor she carried with great pride. After graduation and marriage, Mike and Jo settled in Houston and she went on to work as a laboratory technician for Union Carbide, where she ran the mass spectrometer and contributed to the research team involved in the development of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a material that became widely used across industries.
In the 1950s, when her husband’s career as a physicist took them to Idaho Falls, Idaho, Jo made the decision—common for women of her generation but no less significant—to step away from the workforce to focus on starting and raising a family. She devoted herself to nurturing her children, while continuing to apply her intellect, curiosity, and sense of service to civic and church concerns.
When the family later moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, Jo deepened her commitment to community service. She volunteered for the Los Alamos Historical Society for 25 years, sharing her time, care, and respect for the past, and spent nearly a decade volunteering with the Pajarito Environmental Education Center, reflecting her enduring concern for stewardship of the natural world. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), supporting education and equity for women, and the League of Women Voters. Along with her husband Mike, Jo was an avid birder. Her impressive life list included birds from every continent of the world.
A cradle Episcopalian, her faith was a central pillar. When her husband became a priest, theirs was a shared ministry. Together they impacted the lives of numerous people at churches all over Idaho, New Mexico, and Florida. At Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church, she participated in Cursillo, served on the altar guild and the deanery, attended weekly Bible study, participated in Women Alive, and remained actively engaged in church ministries. She was a lifelong learner and avid reader, participating in many book groups over the years, and valuing thoughtful discussion, reflection, and fellowship.
Jo will be remembered for her quiet intelligence, deep faith, and unwavering dedication to family and community. She belonged to a remarkable generation of women scientists whose talents and training were essential to mid-twentieth-century scientific progress, even when their careers were often interrupted or set aside by the expectations of the era. Though she stepped away from professional laboratory work to raise a family, her scientific mind never left her. It informed the way she approached learning, service, faith, and community—quietly, thoughtfully, and with rigor. Her life stands as a testament to the many women whose intellectual contributions extended far beyond formal titles or résumés and whose legacy lives on through the families, institutions, and communities they helped shape.
She is survived by her three children Kathy Quinn, Chris (Brenda) Moore, and Patrick (Tina) Moore; grandchildren Michelle (Mike) Kasunic, Nicholi (Kimm) Dedeke, Adeliah (Joe) Starr, Luke Quinn, Nicole (Jacques) Kriel-Moore, William (Theresa) Hall, Nathan (Tiffany) Dedeke, David (Amber) Moore, Prescott Moore, and Ember Moore; and great-grandchildren Alivier, Bellamie, Elri, Joanie, Kaily, Kiyomi, Lucy, Mary, and Roscoe. She is also survived by her brother Connie (Sharla) Marks, niece Kimberly (David) Solomon, nephew Constant (Stacey) Marks, and grandnephews Samuel and Sawyer.
Her husband Rev. Dr. Michael Moore and daughter Honora Moore Hall predeceased her.
A service celebrating Jo will be held Saturday, May 9 at 11:00 AM at Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jo’s name may be made to Trinity on the Hill, the Los Alamos Historical Society General Fund (archives), or the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC).
Please visit www.riverafamilyfuneralhome.com to leave messages, pictures, and condolences.