Janice Lorelle Moore

Janice “Jan” Moore, born Janice Lorelle Morris in April 1948, was the only daughter of the late Clarence Thomas “CT” Morris and Laverne Morris, née Oakes. Jan went home to be with our Lord on January 9, 2023 after losing a brief but mighty battle for recovery following a stroke and heart attack. 

Jan is survived by her beloved husband of 42 years, William “Bill” O. Moore, Jr., originally of Beltsville, MD. Bill was also known to many as “Bill Moore,” because Jan affectionately always called him by his full name while working together at church productions. She is also survived by four children and 11 grandchildren: Kim Talbert Jennings of Alpharetta, GA (husband Mark, sons Avery, Josiah and Harry), Kari Talbert Higgins Frederick of Maryville, TN (husband Edward, children Tate, Aiden, Mari Higgins and Grace, William, Katelyn Frederick), Jason R. Talbert of Knoxville, TN (sons Jacob and James), and Mary Beth Moore of Burnsville, NC. Jan is also survived by many cousins, whom she loved dearly and considered to be sisters and brothers since childhood. 

Jan grew up in Miami, FL and graduated from Miami Senior High School in 1966. After high school, she worked for Delta Airlines in Reservations, where she met and was married for nine years to the late Frederick L.Talbert of Miami, FL. 

It was at First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale (FBC), that Jan met Bill, “the one whom [her] soul loves” (Song of Solomon 3:4). Married in 1980, Jan and Bill were truly a match made in heaven. Their love for one another was epic, a beautiful model of the love described in First Corinthians 13. They lived and raised Kim, Kari, Jason and Mary Beth in Plantation, FL.

Jan had dozens of roles in her life in which she excelled: wife, daughter, mother-in-law, daughter (and sister)-in-law, cousin and niece, friend, prayer partner and prayer warrior, creative, visionary leader, director, role-model, executive assistant, real estate agent, prankster and jokester, writer, set and costume designer, advocate, business mentor, co-parent with the father and stepmother of her children, youth wrangler, director of children, volunteer, and many more. 

But her most important roles, to which she was unconditionally devoted, were Mama and Granny.

For many years, Jan was a support staff member at FBC, in addition to volunteering in ministries related to her children and interests. She happily dedicated her days (and many nights!) in service to church families and greater Ft. Lauderdale through the children, youth, and music ministries. 

Jan believed that music and drama were powerful methods of conveying the love of Jesus and his plan of salvation. She devoted much of her adult life to this activity in both Florida and North Carolina, and in doing so, touched the lives of countless audience members and cast and crew members. 

Jan was instrumental in creating the Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant from its inception, serving as a director and member of the creative team. With passion and joy, Jan helped guide a cast and crew that grew to number more than 1,000 plus live animals in producing what was a cherished Christmas tradition for hundreds of thousands of South Florida families for many years. Those experiences developed deep friendships that continue to this day and Jan treasured these relationships.  

While working and volunteering at FBC, Jan also helped produce innumerable dramatic presentations from short skits to full scale children’s musical productions. As her children aged, she began helping with the FBC Youth Group, chaperoning their service trips to several cities in the US and abroad, and also serving as a Youth Camp counselor for many years.

If you were to ask anyone who was a part of those years at FBC what they remember about that time, they would almost certainly say “we laughed, we had SO MUCH fun!” Jan was in the middle of all the fun and she deeply loved those families, friends, and creative partners, and continued to do so even after moving away from Florida.

For several years, Jan was instrumental in helping produce a life of Jesus production for the people of Ukraine and Russia with Revelation Ministry led by the late Travis Johnson; Jan and Bill traveled to Kiev with this ministry. She and Bill also lived in Nicaragua for a year while he taught college classes in San Marcos. Jan treasured her experiences abroad and loved the wonderful people she served and with whom she served.

In 1998, Jan moved with Bill and Mary Beth to Burnsville, NC, where they quickly fell in love with the community to which God had called them. They became involved in Burnsville immediately, joining West Burnsville Baptist Church (WBBC). 

Jan helped begin the Christmas Pageant at WBBC, which has become one of the area’s special annual Christmas traditions. Together with the creative team at WBBC, she helped craft a beautiful production by weaving music and drama into a compelling presentation of the life of Jesus and the story of his salvation for sinners. Jan is and will be present in every aspect of the pageant, from the powerful narration and music to the beautiful costuming. It was a labor of love and devotion to her and she derived tremendous pleasure from working so hard with her friends to produce it.

Jan has always been passionate about protecting the unborn and her many volunteer activities included the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Burnsville.

For many years, Jan was a Real Estate Agent in North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. She started at Rob Masten Realty in Burnsville, and worked with several groups including Weichert Realty in Knoxville, TN. Her final role in real estate was assisting agent Christopher Page in North Carolina.

It was no surprise that she flourished in real estate, since Jan was a devoted friend and was wonderful at nurturing relationships. From her earliest working days at Delta until her last days working with Chris Page, she always excelled at working the phones. Jan never knew a stranger! 

Jan was beloved by people young and old. One of her greatest gifts to us was to pour herself into women of all generations, serving as a mentor, sister, friend, and prayer partner. 

We will miss Jan’s love of life, her laughter, and her fierce friendship. She lived larger than life! Jan leaves behind a living legacy of people across the world who love Jesus, love their families, lead in their communities, and love to laugh. 

Jan’s life will be celebrated on Saturday, January 28 at 10:00 a.m. in Burnsville, NC at West Burnsville Baptist Church and again on Saturday, February 25 at 1:00 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale, FL at Gracepoint Church. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Christmas Pageant Fund at West Burnsville Baptist Church (https://westbbchurch.org/). A Facebook group was created to share photos and memories of Janice and information about her services: https://www.facebook.com/groups/568963931717583.