Having lived a full life, Dr. James Robert “Bob” Moon, Jr., died peacefully at the age of 70 in his home in Broad Run, Virginia, on June 6, 2019, from complications related to pancreatic cancer.

Robert is survived by his wife, Mariann Lynch; sons James Robert “Jay” Moon III of Falls Church, Virginia, and Joshua Bryan Moon (Amber) of Hermosa Beach, California; stepdaughters Anne W. Humes of Brooklyn, New York and Catherine M. Humes of Los Angeles, California, and Summer L. Byers of Vero Beach, Florida; stepson Samuel Byers of Chicago, Illinois; grandchildren Emily Jane and Sara Elizabeth Ottesen of Vero Beach, Florida, James W. “Jimmy” Davison of Brooklyn, New York, and Dashiell Jack Moon of Hermosa Beach, California; sisters Gwendolyn Sue Beck of Perry, Georgia, and Geneva Jean Russell (Michael) of Romania; brother Michael Frederick Moon (Phyllis) of Lenoir, North Carolina; nephews Daniel Emig (Nora) of Monument, Colorado, David Emig (Kelley) of Perry, Georgia, Erwin Goodwin (Randy) of Bradenton, Florida, Aaron Goodwin of New York City, and Michael Anthony Moon (Sarah) of Foxfire, North Carolina; and a niece, Daisy Nicole Walker of Hiddenite, North Carolina.

Robert was born on April 17, 1949, in Joplin, Missouri, to Daisy Poletha (Gregory) Moon and James Robert Moon, Sr., both deceased. He graduated from the Academy of Richmond County in 1967 and studied at Augusta College, both in Georgia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Georgia Southern University in 1971 and married Martha “Marty” Elizabeth (Anderson) Moon, mother of Jay and Josh, in September of that year. They divorced in 1994. In 1975, he earned a Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and was called as mission pastor of what became Windsor Spring Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia, where he served for eight years. In 1977, he joined the Army National Guard as a chaplain, achieving the rank of captain, and left service in 1983. In 1980, he earned a Doctor of Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He accepted a call in 1983 as senior pastor of North Broad Baptist Church in Rome, Georgia, which he led for six years. During that time, he served on the Executive Committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention and was a local leader in resisting the fundamentalist resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention. He accepted a call in 1989 as senior pastor of North Stuart Baptist Church in Stuart, Florida.

1991 marked Robert’s transition from pastoral care and ministry to hospital administration as Director of Volunteer Services for Martin Memorial Health Systems in Stuart, Florida. During his nine-year tenure, he was assigned increasing levels of leadership and was responsible for expanding outpatient services, including the founding of the Martin Memorial Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, now operating independently as the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic. In 1999, he earned a Master of Business Administration in Health Care from the University of Colorado-Denver.

While residing in Stuart, Robert performed with his son Josh in the Barn Theatre’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar and other contemporary plays and musicals. It was the perfect setting in which to meet and marry Benjalyn “Benji” Jane (Johnston) Byers in 1998. She predeceased Robert in 2012. During a nationwide downsizing of administrative staff in health care institutions, Robert’s tenure with Martin Memorial ended and he experienced a three-year period of unemployment or underemployment, which led to his first publication, Unemployment and How to Live Through It (2003). Following several transitional jobs, Robert accepted a position in 2003 as Executive Director of Prince William Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, a not-for-profit organization in Manassas, Virginia, providing healthcare-related programs, including specific attention to the county’s HIV/AIDS population. He served as a volunteer chaplain with the Prince William County Fire Department from 2004 to 2009.

In 2006, Mark Cooke invited Robert to begin a partnership, Heritage Financial, LLC, in Gainesville, Virginia. Together, they built a team providing long-term financial consultation to individuals, families, and not-for-profit organizations. In his capacity as Chief Operations Officer and licensed financial advisor, Robert leveraged his pastoral care skills and experience, along with his healthcare and business administration acumen, to help lead the company in becoming a well-respected, trusted boutique financial services enterprise. He retired in December 2018.

During this period, he developed an avocation: writing and publishing fiction and nonfiction books that addressed the struggles that arise in the day-to-day realities of practicing one’s faith and managing one’s wealth. He went on to produce four additional titles: My Pastor, My Money, and Why We’re Not Talking (2012), All Saints Intersection (2014), In the Shade of the Sycamore Tree (2015), and Two Sons and Forty Years (2016).

In 2013, Robert married Mariann Lynch, a Pittsburgh native and longtime resident of Fauquier County, Virginia. Their courtship began through eHarmony, an online dating service, and quickly blossomed into a loving relationship unlike any other they had experienced. Both widowed, they found connection and companionship exceeding both of their expectations.

In his final months, Robert and his family were compassionately served by the good people of Capital Caring of Fairfax, Virginia. For more than 40 years, Robert was a strong advocate of allowing hospice to gracefully guide people through their final days. He was a former member of the board of directors of Hospice of the Rapidan and was instrumental in its merger with Hospice of the Piedmont in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was also dedicated to the Sabbath House, Inc., in Bryson City, North Carolina, and Ministering to Ministers, Inc., in Richmond, Virginia. All four of these organizations are worthy of support from those who wish to make a financial contribution in his memory.

Baker-Post Funeral Home in Manassas, Virginia is in charge of funeral arrangements. For more information, visit https://www.bakerpostfh.com. The family will receive visitors on Saturday, June 29 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at St. James’ Episcopal Church, 73 Culpeper Street, Warrenton, Virginia. The funeral will be held on Sunday, June 30 at 4:00pm at St. James’ Episcopal Church.

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