Mr. William Mapp (“Billy”) Moore died on March 31, 2025, at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital in Virginia Beach. Born in Nassawadox on Oct. 30, 1940, he was the son of Gerald and Louise Mapp Moore.
Even at a young age, Billy was known to be strong-willed and sometimes stubborn. This tenacity may have been the reason that as a young teenager he became a cadet at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham. Despite his opposition to being there, Billy made lifelong friends and recalled having wonderful mentors and teachers at Hargrave. This experience would shape the rest of his life.
After finishing at Hargrave, Billy enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and was honorably discharged after being stationed in Wilmington, N.C., and serving on the USCG Cutter Mendota.
After his service in the Coast Guard, Billy returned to the Eastern Shore and began working for his father at the Exmore Amoco gas station. It wasn’t long before he knew that washing cars, pumping gas, and changing oil were not for him. It was said, at that time, he was making $27 per week. As a newlywed with a young daughter at home, he knew he had to do more, so they moved to Norfolk, where he went to work for Turner’s Express.
At Turner’s he was trained from the ground up in the freight and transportation business, going from the loading dock to the shipping and receiving office to truck driving. His opportunity at Turner’s materialized due to a friend he made while at Hargrave. He often said he continued his “education” at Turner’s and felt that his experience there cultivated his entrepreneurial spirit. “I learned how to work while at Turner’s,” he said.
During this time, he and his father began making plans and started a small construction business. Eastern Shore Paving, as it was known then, began as a part-time father and son enterprise in the mid 1960s. While driving for Turner’s, Billy found a roller, motor grader, and asphalt distributor truck for sale in New Jersey. He didn’t have the money to buy them outright, but knew he needed each piece for their fledgling paving enterprise. He negotiated with the equipment owner, who was retiring, to pay for the equipment over a set period. The owner agreed and every Monday morning for about a year, Billy stopped during his run to Jersey City and made a payment. After paying in full as agreed, he often said it took another six months and a borrowed Turner’s Express truck to get the equipment to Exmore.
As the construction business slowly evolved, and as most “natives” tend to do, Billy returned to the Eastern Shore to live and work. He started Moore’s Trucking, Inc. and set out to haul general freight that would include produce, seafood, and canned goods that were so prevalent on the Eastern Shore at the time. Out of necessity, Billy bought an old tow truck to help control the cost and inconvenience of over-the-road breakdowns of his trucks. Out of that purchase Moore’s Towing & Repair, Inc. was born.
He and his father grew their construction business into a full-time enterprise and the name was changed to Gerald M. Moore & Son, Inc. Following his father’s death in 1986, Billy grew the company into a major contracting and construction material supply firm that included asphalt and concrete manufacturing, grading, paving, and commercial site work. As the business grew in complexity and scope, he relied on his team to handle a lot of the details. He was the happiest and most content at the controls of a motor grader, shaping ditches and roads on the company’s many projects. He was immensely proud of this business and its reputation for quality work.
A man of unrelenting high standards when it came to quality work and workmanship, working for Billy could be demanding. But he always managed to bring out the best in his people and he had many loyal employees who loved him, and he loved them back. He was always willing to take a chance on any young person who showed interest and a desire to learn. And he enjoyed training and watching people develop their skills. Many local people started their careers working at Moore’s as mechanics, drivers, equipment operators, and general laborers. Quite a few went on to start their own successful businesses.
Never one to seek recognition, Billy quietly helped many people get their own businesses started or buy homes and vehicles, and in other ways provided the leg up that is hard for many to find on the Eastern Shore. He was always quick to point out that he was fortunate to have had some help along the way and felt an obligation to reciprocate when he was able to do so.
Billy wasn’t known for hobbies or extracurricular activities. When he wasn’t working, he was usually somewhere thinking about work. Not successful in retirement, in later years he was often found at the shop or office watching the hustle and bustle and helping when asked or needed.
He did, however, enjoy boating and owned a few boats over the years. He was especially fond of his last boat, named “One Moore Time” and finally took some time to enjoy cruising the Chesapeake Bay. He made several trips from his home on Occohannock Creek down the Intracoastal waterway as far south as Fort Pierce, Fla., with friends and family.
His grandchildren brought him tremendous joy and pride. Whether watching Hannah tend to her horse, John shooting hoops, or Mariah zipping around on the golf cart, he always beamed when he was with them and enjoyed their birthday parties and Sunday afternoons on the dock.
Billy was a lifetime member of the Exmore Moose Lodge #683 and very much enjoyed stopping off at the lodge on the way home most days for a beer and some conversation. He was a member of Capeville Masonic Lodge #107 and was a Shriner.
He is survived by his daughter, Rhonda S. LeCato; his son, William M. Moore Jr. and his wife, Jamie; his son John G. Moore and his wife, Jaime; and his grandchildren, Hannah Paige Moore, John Gerald Moore Jr., and Mariah Lynn Moore. He also was an animal lover and adored his furry grandchildren, golden retrievers Grady, Annie, and Penny.
The family would also like to extend a special thanks to Stephanie Mancuso for the loving and devoted care she has given him for the last two years and also to the members of the Moose Lodge for their efforts in making sure he could continue to enjoy the lodge these last few months as his mobility declined.
A visitation was held Thursday, April 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Doughty Funeral Home in Exmore. Funeral services will be held Friday, April 4, at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Tammy Estep officiating at the Belle Haven Cemetery. A reception will follow immediately after at the Exmore Moose Lodge. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Broadwater Academy, P.O. Box 546, Exmore, VA 23350.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.doughtyfuneralhome.com
Arrangements were made by Doughty Funeral Home in Exmore.
