MOON, William Arthur "Bill" formerly of Clearwater and Palm Harbor, passed away at his home in Midlothian, VA on Thursday, 16 January 2020 following a 10 month battle with Glioblastoma. He was born on 23 March 1932 to George Colin Moon and Irene (née Tilley) Moon in East Gadsden, AL, where he graduated as Valedictorian and then entered Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now known as Auburn University) graduating as an Electrical Engineer in 1955. As an ROTC Second Lieutenant, he was called up to serve in the US Army Sig- nal Corp, ultimately assigned to the Far East Division of the Army Security Agency in Tokyo. His duties (most of which he never revealed to his family) put him under the guidance of Commander Luther Luke LaSalle Dilley, in South Korea following the Armistice. As fate would have it, Commander Dilley requested the young Second Lieutenant personally escort his visiting daughter on a tour of Tokyo. Following a six week whirlwind romance and a need to "figure out what made him tick", in 1956, Julianne LaSalle Dilley and he began their 48 year marriage which ended with her untimely death in 2004. He is survived by his loving daughters, Alison O'Shanick (Dr. Gregory) of Midlothian and Jennifer Moon Walls of Richmond; seven grandchildren, Beth DeSimone (Christopher) of Fairfax, Peter O'Shanick (Jenny) of Arlington, Van Luethke (Andrea) of North Chesterfield, Alexis Milby (Will) of Richmond, Andrew O'Shanick of New York City; Auburn MacLachan (Duncan) of New York City, and Mackenna Walls of Richmond; four great-grandchildren; multiple loving nieces and nephews; neighbors, Robert and Maria Bell of Palm Harbor, FL and Dr. Harvey Jacobs and Debbie Jennings from Midlothian, VA who were his family by choice. In addition to his beloved wife, J'anne, he was predeceased by his parents, his elder brother, George Colin Moon; his brother-in-law, George William Dilley; and his sister-in-law and her husband, Paul and Patricia Dilley O' Neil. Prior to moving to Midlothian in 2012, he and J'anne had lived in Clearwater, Florida since 1957 where he had owned multiple businesses including Moon Electric, Electrical Enterprises, DynaTech Corp, Ven-Tel Plastics, Telephone Products, PowerCraft, Specialty Manufacturing, and Jack Rice Insurance Agency, along with at various times a bowling alley, a restaurant and other such exciting ventures. While in Clearwater, he was an active member in both The Lancers and The Adventurers social organizations and served on the working board of the Church Of the Ascension Episcopal Church given his electrical contracting and recognized business acumen. Following his relocation to Midlothian, Pop Bill found great joy in helping his family in the multiple projects of home improvement demonstrating his amazing knack for designing gates, irrigation systems, and other electrical repairs. However, in 2015, with the purchase of Airy Point Farm in Goochland by his daughter and son-in-law, Pop became reenergized with a focus and excitement as he oversaw the multiple projects needed to restore and renovate this property. At the farm, he also made many wonderful friendships with whom he enjoyed countless hours of food, storytelling and adult beverages, along with a memorable trip to Marathon Key before the ravages of his illness were too severe. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be given to either The Brain Injury Association of Virginia (BIAV.net) or the Arabian Feedlot and Auction Horse Team Rescue Fund in Memorial for William Arthur Moon. In keeping with his desires, he is to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with his J'anne at a date yet to be determined by the government. A celebration of his life and legacy is being scheduled at Airy Point Farm in Goochland, VA for the Spring.
Published in the Tampa Bay Times on Feb. 2, 2020