ON MOST Sunday mornings in Fayetteville, you can spot Lynn Moore long before you hear the church bells. He walks purposefully and unhurried down long-trodden sidewalks toward Washington Street Church of Christ, the same streets that have carried him through nearly every season of his life. It’s a small habit, but it says a lot about him. It speaks of his determination and willingness to walk alongside his neighbors and connect with them in meaningful ways.
For 40, Moore built his career around the demands of Tennessee agriculture. As a food and dairy inspector for the state of Tennessee, he traveled back roads and plant floors alike, building relationships with farmers, manufacturers, and business owners who relied on his practical knowledge and sound advice. He and his wife, Jeanie, raised their two children in Fayetteville, a town they were familiar with. Work was purposeful. Life was full.
Then retirement arrived in 2016, as it does for everyone, subtly at first, with more open mornings than expected.
“When I hear people in their 20s and 30s say they don’t know what their purpose is,” Moore joked, “I tell them, ‘Neither do I at my age.’”
Rather than settling into stillness, Moore leaned into service. A year after retiring, he took a part-time position as a funeral assistant at Higgins Funeral Home on East Market Street. It wasn’t a job he sought out for recognition, and it certainly did not promise ease. But it offered something Moore values deeply: the chance to show up.
“I’m enjoying what I’m doing now,” he said simply. “I’m just trying to help people wherever I’m working.”
Since 2017, Moore has been on call at all hours, day or night, ready to assist families in their most vulnerable moments. He helps transport loved ones, greets friends at visitations, delivers flowers and memorial gifts, and tends to the behind-the-scenes details that allow families space to grieve together.
“We try to help ease their minds, give them comfort, and even pray with the family,” he explained.
At Higgins, two team members respond to every call. Moore describes entering homes as a guest, mindful that grief fills the room before a word is spoken. Often, comfort comes not through explanation, but through presence.
“It is very important to be a calm presence at a very difficult time. A hug and taking the time to listen to their needs is the most important thing we can do.”
These are small acts, but in moments like those, they carry enormous weight.
Moore’s service doesn’t end when he leaves the funeral home. He’s also been part of the quality control team at Holt Enterprise since 2017, helping the local family business continue to improve its service to customers. In February 2019, he joined the Fayetteville Lions Club, where he now serves on the board of directors.
His reach spans generations. One day, he’s helping the Lions Club screen local youth for sight and hearing issues; the next, he’s at the Fayetteville–Lincoln County Senior Center, serving as a board member and bingo caller.
“I do have downtime where I play bingo with a group,” he said. “And I enjoy that.”
Downtime with friends is another kind of service that creates space for connection, for routine, and for joy.
Fayetteville’s senior community and grieving families alike have taught Moore that no one should feel forgotten.
“We all need to feel the presence of a caring person in our lives,” he said. “Someday, you’ll need the help of others. I hope
to be that person in any way I can.”
That mindset didn’t arrive with retirement. Moore cultivated it over the course of decades, inspired by his family and his faith. Moore speaks often of Jeanie, his wife and partner in service. Together, they’ve worked with the youth group at Washington Street Church of Christ, and Jeanie’s love for children inspires her work at First Presbyterian Child Care Center
“I’m blessed with a wife who has the same heart of service,” Moore said. “We raised our family here. We couldn’t have asked for a better community to grow old in.”
Moore is grateful for the place he calls home, the people around him, and the work he’s been given. Titles and achievements don’t guide his days. Each morning is simply a chance to show up and do something worthwhile.
“I look at each day as a chance to find purpose,” he said. “To be involved in things that make a difference in our
community and to improve our way of life for young and old.”
While many people see retirement as an ending, Moore sees it as room to move. His calendar is lighter now, his days less crowded. He spends some days with his family. Some still revolve around work. Others pass with board games or long walks to church. All of them, in one way or another, center on service.
He doesn’t make a show of it. He just shows up, again and again, for the town that raised him. In Fayetteville, people notice that kind of loyalty, and it has a lasting impact. GN
