Nancy J Moore

Nancy Jane Moore, aged 91, died on Sunday, August 16, 2026 at Juniper Village, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.

Nancy was born on October 25, 1934 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Ward and Marie (Donaldson) Moore. Nancy’s early years were spent moving frequently, following her father’s career working with a newspaper. They lived in St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Coral Gables, Florida, before moving to Topeka, Kansas, where she finished high school in 1952.

Nancy returned to St. Louis to do her AB at Washington University. She married and moved to Pittsburgh, PA. She raised her two children, Laura Jeanne Crary and James MacRyland Crary as a single mother, beginning in 1966. That was when she returned to work on an MA in English Composition at Carnegie Mellon University. With that degree, she went on to teach English Composition and Literature at the Allegheny Campus of the Community College of Allegheny County. She taught mostly developmental writing and reading, with occasional classes in children’s literature, Shakespeare, and other specialized topics in literature. She taught enormous numbers of students, and graded papers with super-human stamina. She worked to establish a Women’s Center at CCAC in the 1970s and was an active member of the negotiating team of the union representing the teachers at CCAC. Nancy was also a tireless supporter of civil rights, women’s rights, and equal opportunities for all. 

Nancy loved literature, theatre, art, and music. Her musical preferences were for classical and jazz, but she was open to attending rock concerts with her children, seeing Fleetwood Mac with her son, James, and Patti Smith with her daughter, Laura. She frequently visited art museums with her children, passing on her love for art to Laura, who became an art history professor, and James, who writes poetry and paints. Quite possibly her greatest joy came from travel. In addition to driving through almost all the United States, and Canada, she and her husband, John Lucarelli, spent too much time to count traveling through Europe. They spent a full year in London and spent many months touring the UK. They had the opportunity to spend a year in Rome, in a friend’s apartment that overlooked the Colosseum. They traveled throughout Italy, Greece, Malta, and France, where Nancy wanted to go to Fontevraud, where Eleanor of Aquitaine was buried, so that she could wrap up research for some writing on that queen.

Nancy lived a life rich in culture, politics, friends, and family. An annual Christmas party was always a big event for which she enjoyed baking many kinds of cookies and laying out a rich array of party foods. The word most often used to describe her is “feisty.” Enthusiastic, opinionated, energetic, and funny, the people and places she loved, she loved with a passion. Best not to speak of the rest! Nancy is survived by her beloved husband of 45 years, John Lucarelli; daughter, Laura Jeanne Crary of Clinton, SC; son, James MacRyland Crary of Tacoma, WA; stepson, David Lucarelli (Sherry) of Los Angeles; granddaughter, Molly Nancy-Marie Crary; and grandson, Calvin Lucarelli. 

 No memorial service will be held. Donations in memory of Nancy Moore may be made to any of the following: The August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Pittsburgh, PA https://give.awaacc.org/donate HEROHouse, Seattle, WA. https://www.seattleclubhouse.org/get-involved Laurens County Humane Society, Clinton, SC https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/1956232