Captain Thomas Oliver Moore

Captain Thomas Oliver Moore (1947 – 2025)

Captain Thomas Moore lived a life that reads like a classic adventure – novel from training for Top Gun to navigating the rugged waters of the Inside Passage. He was clearly a man of immense grit and heart.

Captain Tom Moore a master mariner whose life was defined by service, adventure and the sea, passed away in 2025 in Herring Cove, Ketchikan, Alaska. He was 78 years old.

Born in 1947 in Bethesda, Maryland, into a military family, Tom’s early years were spent across the country. A graduate of Lompoc High School, he trained in flight school for Top Gun preparation, a formative experience that instilled in him a lifelong discipline. After studying Electrical Engineering at

Cal Poly, Tom volunteered for the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, serving on the USS Ranger.

His journey to Alaska is the stuff of legend. After working as a welder in Bremerton, Washington, he helped salvage a swamped sailboat and navigated it all the way to Ketchikan. He arrived with only six dollars to his name, starting as a commercial deckhand before beginning a storied 35-year career with the Alaska Marine Highway System. Rising from the Stewards Department to Captain, Tom was a master of the Inside Passage.

His expertise earned him the Governor’s Peak Performance Award and the prestigious ATOS award for heroism — the highest maritime honor in the world. Beyond his accolades, Tom was loved for his humor, his steady leadership and his generosity.

He is survived by his wife, Artist Ann Miletich; his daughter Edie A. Moore; siblings Marion and Ron (Janet) Moore; and a large extended family of nieces, nephews, cousins, crewmates and friends who became family.

Life Celebrations:

August 29, Ketchikan AK Herring Cove, 69 Lake Road 5:30pm –

September 19, Juneau, AK, Auke Reck, 4pm – 8pm

Colin Vogler House 8pm –

Alabama Event

Friday April 9, 2027, 11am

Burial at Shiloh Baptist Church, Military Honors

Lineville, Alabama

Celebration of Life

April 10, 2027, 12Noon – 3:30pm

Buffet Luncheon

Anniston Museums and Gardens Auditorium

Please join us.

For more information: annmiletich@gmail.com

A MARINERS BALANCE

for Tom

Balanced in WATER on waves

You standing in black & white

Gold held up by your shoulders

Air under open arms

Your hair blond your eyes blue

Me walking in khaki green

From dry dirt, down to the sea

My hair brown my eyes auburn

Pushed & pulled by the Wind

Looking through Light, for balance

Together We saw everything

in the dark & in the light

Rainbow circles, hurled into the

Northern Lights by The Great Whales

Sleeping under the stars

Overhead we watched eagles

Circle over water & desert

We watched waves of fish & circling

whales

You gave me warm arms

Hot soup, a listening ear

An open heart

Strong arms awakened my senses

Humor & light

My body

We traveled through rough seas

Into calm coves

Through light & darkness

Leaving memories of Love

Gold & Balance

Annie