Tessie Cecil Moore

A funeral ceremony honoring the life of Tessie Cecil Moore will be held at 11 AM Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at the RiverCrest Chapel in Bixby. A private interment will follow in Bixby Cemetery. The family will receive visitors from 5-7 PM Tuesday, also at RiverCrest. Tessie passed away early Friday morning, May 22, 2020, at her Bixby residence. She was 89.

Born February 25, 1931, in Bixby, Tessie was the daughter of Norman Clinton and Gladys Loree (Black) Pruitt. Her family moved several times throughout her childhood as her father was a contract carpenter on many government projects. Following World War II, they returned to Bixby in 1945. A straight-A student, Tessie was the runner-up valedictorian with the Bixby High School Class of 1949. She was quiet, loved to read, and took several bookkeeping classes while in school. Tessie dated Robert Moore for almost four years while in high school, and regularly assisted him with his studies.

Following high school, Tessie began working in the accounting division of Citizen’s Security Bank in Bixby. She raised all three of her children in Bixby, where she was known to be a wonderful mother. Tessie worked hard and supported her children throughout their college years. She also worked as a manager for the Riverside Bowling Alley in the 70’s. Tessie’s accounting processes that she used in a business carried over to her personal life. Her financial situation was always well organized.

Upon working many years in accounting, Tessie became the CFO and co-owner of her son’s business, New World Environmental in Livermore, California. The company specialized in the clean up of radioactive materials in soils. They secured numerous government contracts and a great deal of success.

Tessie and Robert rekindled their flame while attending a Bixby High School reunion in 2010. They regularly talked for weeks upon her return to California. She moved back to Bixby and married Robert on November 1, 2011, at the Siloam Springs Church of Christ. Robert’s involvement with Wyndham allowed them to travel extensively for several years, which they enjoyed tremendously. They attended the Church of Christ in Haskell.

Tessie always saw the good in everyone and treated others with the utmost respect and gratitude. Tessie had a great heart for those less fortunate in life and will not soon be forgotten by a host of family and friends that loved her.

Surviving family members include her husband Robert; her children: Donald K. Wadsworth, Joy L. Sweger, and Clint E. Wadsworth; her grandchildren: Loree, Christina, Kimberly, Shannon, Jennifer, Siobahn, and Clarke; her great-grandchildren: Eric, Shen, Karl, Cody, Dominick, Landon, Jordan, Belle, and Jessi; her stepchildren: Teresa Ward, Tamra Moore, and Tracy Moore; her sister, Billie LaFerry; and her cousin, Carolyne McGilbrea. Tessie was preceded in death by her parents Norman and Gladys Pruitt; her sister, Veva D. Stephens, her brother, Norman T. Pruitt; and her cousin, Christina Hari.

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