Obituary of Olive M. Moore

Olive (Ollie) Moore

Olive M (Bethel, DeBell) Moore entered eternal peace on May 5^, 2026.

Olive was born on 10/17/31 to the late Walter and Natalina Donini Bethel on Van Schaick Island in Cohoes, NY.  She graduated from Lansingburgh High School in 1949 along with her lifelong best friend Joyce MacAllister. 

After high school, Olive began working at Montgomery Wards. She went back to school at Troy’s EOC to learn typing and shorthand and got a job as a proofreader at Regal Art Press. From there she moved on to the NYS Department of Health, where she worked until her retirement.

In her spare time, Olive was the PTA president at PS#2 and chaperoned many school trips with her 4 children.  Olive was a good friend to the other moms on 10^th street and they could often be found sitting outside on the porches on warm summer nights.  Dottie Flanagan, Kay Fomuk, and Dorothy Caglione (to name a few) and their families made that neighborhood special.

As a child, Olive began attending “the church around the corner” She introduced both of her parents to the church and as a family, they all accepted Christ and became charter members of the Pleasantdale Covenant Church. Olive was a beloved Sunday School Teacher as well as the Sunday School Superintendent. Her flannel graph stories were a favorite of children as well as adults.

In 1997 Olive married George (Sonny) Moore.  She and Sonny began attending another “church around the corner” and they became members of the Hoosic Valley Community Church.  Every month, as a member of the Hoosic Valley Golden Oldies, she assisted in packing the 700+ boxes that were shipped overseas by Military Mom in Action, as well as stuffing envelopes to help with the Mission in Albany.

Olive loved her family and she loved her Lord.  We take comfort in knowing that she has gone home to be with Him and we celebrate this with her. 

Whether you knew her as Olive, Ollie, Wife, Mom, Stepmom, Mother in Law, Sister, Sister in Law, Aunt Ollie, Nona or any other name, it was a privilege just to have known her.  As her children we knew that we were blessed to have been raised by this amazing woman. She was a hard worker and a positive role model but she was not a person who pulled any punches.  If she thought you were doing something out of line she would tell you about it.  Not because she wanted you to feel bad, but because she cared enough to want you to do better.  She wanted you to live up to your God-given potential. 

Olive was an avid Boston Red Sox fan, just like her Dad.  This always made for an interesting time since Sonny, and her brother Bob are huge fans of the Yankees!  For many years she and Sonny wintered in Panama City Beach, Florida where she made many more friends. 

During the summer, Olive and Sonny spent time in NH at Pilgrim Pines Conference Center and she will be missed by all who looked forward to seeing “the love birds”. Olive loved a good game of Mexican Train. She was an avid reader- she and Lynda loved to pass a good mystery novel back and forth. She loved her shows- “Downton Abby” “Blue Bloods” “Major Crimes” “Rizzolli and Isles” and “Cheyenne”.  She also had many pets over the years who meant so much to her, especially her poodle Sam, her border collie Lady, and her beautiful mastiff, Maya; just to name a few.

Olive had a wonderful sense of humor and she will be missed by everyone whose life she touched, as will her fabulous pies, (her pies were so good that they were the featured dessert at The Oakwood Kitchen diner), her fried dough bellies (a favorite of Sonny’s) and more recently her Cowboy baked beans!

Olive is predeceased by her husband (and the love of her life) George (Sonny) Moore.  She leaves behind her children: Debra (the late Fred) Ryan of Tennessee, Cathy (the late Michael) Hanczaryk, Lynda DeBell, and Walter (Nancy) DeBell, all of Troy.  She is survived by her stepchildren: Cathy (the late Greg) Farrell, Mark Miranda, Terry Raymond and Donald (Erin)Moore, as well as her grandchildren, Jason (Sara) Staring, Nicole Sorel, Brandee (Steven) Hourigan and Natalie (Erik) Muurisepp. She was Nona to numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, and beloved Aunt Olive to several nieces and nephews and their families.   Olive was predeceased by her brothers, Walter H Bethel, Robert L (Betty Kay) Bethel, and sister, Doris (Quito) Ronesi; all of whom she missed dearly.

There will not be a viewing, instead there will be a service celebrating Olive at the Hoosic Valley Community Church, 2024 Rt 40, Schaghticoke, NY 12154 on Saturday the 16^th of May at noon with Clyde McCaskill, pastor, officiating.

Private interment will take place later at the family’s convenience.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider making a donation to the Hoosic Valley Community Church, or Pilgrim Pines Conference Center in Olive’s name.

“When I am old and gray-headed O God, do not forsake me until I declare your strength to this generation.”  Psalm 71:18