My uncle Ronnie was diagnosed with COVID-19 a few days ago and passed away yesterday morning. His health had been failing for a long time and this proved to be the final straw for him. His former wife and caretaker, Patti, got to Facetime with him a couple of days before he went. He passed quietly in his sleep between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m., listening to some of his late son Robert's classical music CDs that Patti had brought for him.
One of my son Frank's middle names is Robert, which I chose because of my immense respect and love for Ronnie (whose given name was Robert) as well as his father, my great grandfather, Robert "Bob" Moose. He never got to meet Frank, but he did meet Elliott and sort of Arthur since Amber was pregnant with him when we met for dinner in 2016.
He was probably the smartest person I've ever known. Constantly in pursuit of greater knowledge, he was always reading and researching. He was the town doctor for Thomas, Oklahoma for many years, and prior to that practiced medicine in numerous places. I used to call him regularly with my genealogical inquiries and just to check in on him. Even after he retired, he was researching astronomy with his telescopes and reading about physics in the latest educational journals. He was very kind to me and I wish I could have said goodbye. I did see him last August in Oklahoma City; he no longer recognized me, but there was some acknowledgement when we told him I was Kara's son. I wanted to see him when I visited OKC in March, but his facility had already barred visitors due to the COVID crisis, so I did not get the chance. My last fond memory of him was seeing him in August and watching him play a flight simulator on the giant TV they had there. I could tell he was really enjoying himself, as he had been a pilot as well. I am glad my last memory of him will be of him happy and care-free playing his game.
When I visited Oklahoma in March, one of my primary reasons was to visit Ronnie's home. Patti needed to sell it to pay for his continued care at his assisted living facility. She had neither the time nor resources to clear the house of his possessions, sell anything of monetary value, and disperse anything sentimental/familial value, so she invited me to go to his home and collect anything of importance. I was able to save his mother's (my great grandmother's) three boxes of genealogy materials, including pictures and newspaper clippings. Those were the most important things. We also grabbed a couple of other Moose heirlooms, including a checkers/chess/Chinese checkers board handmade by my great grandpa Bob Moose, the mantle clock that was once in my great grandparents' home, and a non-functional rifle from WWI. Ronnie himself showed it to me when I visited his home in about 2014. He said his uncle Albert took it off a dead German, brought it home, and gave it to Bob. He brought other trophies home for his other younger brothers as well. Our cousin Jurhee, a daughter of the youngest brother Dale, has a watch she believe was brought back from Europe by Albert. I'm more grateful than ever that I was able to save these priceless heirlooms and keep them in the family for my future descendants to enjoy.
I wrote an obituary for Uncle Ronnie, chronicling much of his life. I wanted people to know what a remarkable person he was and what a full life he lived.
Robert Ronald “Ronnie” Moose, M. D. passed away on July 25th, 2020 at Quail Creek Senior Living in Oklahoma City. He was born November 1st, 1935 in Guthrie, Oklahoma to Robert Royer and Ruby (Jay) Moose.
His early childhood was spent in Guthrie, where at the age of 8 he became interested in practicing medicine after recovering from osteomyelitis. His family later moved to Cushing and then Tulsa, where in Junior High he discovered his love of science. After graduating from Will Rogers High School, he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa.
Ronnie received his Medical Degree from the University of Oklahoma. His internship was at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, where he once delivered fifteen babies in one night. His residency was at Lafayette Charity Hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana, which he completed in 1963.
He then joined the Public Health Service and was stationed with the Coast Guard as a non-commissioned officer in Yorktown, Virginia. He was next assigned to practice at an Indian Reservation in South Dakota, which helped to pay off his medical school debts. The cold weather did not suit Ronnie and he returned to Oklahoma at his first chance. Part of his stint with the Public Health Service was also spent at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, OK.
In 1965, he opened a private practice in Durant, and then in Caddo in 1967. He practiced in Sherman, Texas from 1977-1988 and in Cushing from 1988-1990. He then worked for the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City until 1996, when he opened a private practice in Thomas, Oklahoma.
He worked in Thomas until his retirement in 2013. The community there revered “Doc”, who still made house calls and took night and weekend calls all the way up until his retirement. He was considered the community’s own modern-day Marcus Welby.
Ronnie genuinely and deeply cared for all of his patients and employees, and he also highly enjoyed putting together the pieces to figure out difficult diagnoses. After his retirement, he focused his energies on his flying (he was a private pilot with his own Lark Aero-Commander), reading, and researching. The fields of physics and astronomy were of particular interest to him. He also enjoyed spending time with his son, Robert Patrick.
Ronnie is survived by his former wife, Patti, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his son Robert, his daughter Nikki, a sister Roberta Vaughan, and his brother Roy. Funeral services are pending, with burial to follow at Rose Hill Memorial Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
