LoVella Iris (Truhitte) Moore, 86, of Hillsboro died March 8, 2025, in St. Louis. Mrs. Moore attended school in Purdy and graduated in 1956 as class salutatorian. In school, she was a member of the choir, speech, debate and volleyball teams, as well as playing piano. She received a college scholarship but turned it down to help care for her father. Later, she continued her secondary education by attending night classes at Jefferson College, then traveling between Hillsboro and Cape Girardeau to finish her bachelor of education degree at Southeast Missouri State University in 1981. She taught fourth grade at Our Lady’s School in Festus for eight years and then taught fourth and fifth grade classes at Hillsboro Elementary School for 15 years until her retirement. LoVella and her husband, Paul, were members of First Baptist Church in Hillsboro for nearly 60 years and she served on the Personnel Committee, was Director of Youth, taught Vacation Bible School, was involved with Girls in Action and taught Sunday School. Following her love of music, she sang in the church choir, the church’s Alleluia Chorus and the Starlight Chorus at Jefferson College. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, serving as parliamentarian, was a member of Rotary Ann, MSTA and she also taught 4H. She loved spending time with her family and shared with them her love of the outdoors, theater, music, teaching, birding and horticulture. Born Sept. 5, 1938, in Cassville, she was the daughter of the late Norman and Blanche (VanZandt) Truhitte.
She was preceded in death by her husband: Paul D. Moore, whom she married on May 19, 1957.
She is survived by a daughter: Tracy (Dave) Martin of St. Louis; a son: Scott (Jennifer Robin) Moore of Nashville, Tenn.; six grandchildren: Jennifer, Drew, Tori, Erin, Kristen and Alec; and eight great-grandchildren: Rylie, Nathan, JP, Henry, Remi, Lena, Reese and Rory.
Visitation is scheduled from 1 p.m. until a funeral service at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at First Baptist Church, 10545 Hwy. 21, in Hillsboro. Burial will follow in the Hillsboro Cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or First Baptist Church in Hillsboro. Arrangements are under the direction of Chapel Hill Mortuary-Robert Brown Chapel in Hillsboro.