Col. Moot

Richmondville- Lt.Col. Harrison James (Jim) Moot, 77, of Brooker Hollow Road, died Sunday, November 14, 2010 at the Hospice Inn of St. Peter's Hospital.

Born September 19, 1933 at home on West Main St., Richmondville, he was the son of Nicholas G. and Marion (Smith) Moot. In his youth he lived in Richmondville. He achieved Eagle Scout in 1949 and graduated from Richmondville Central School in June 1951.

Jim enlisted as a private in the United States Army, March 17, 1952. Following in-processing, he was sent to Fort Belvoir, VA for basic combat training and combat engineer training. Following basic training, he was selected to attend the Engineer Leaders Course and the Engineer Officers Candidate School. He graduated from OCS and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant at the age of 19 on July 14, 1953.

His initial assignment was to the Engineer Leaders Course as an instructor in "Method of Instruction". He also supported tactical night field exercises. Later, Jim volunteered for and served in Korea during 1954 to 1955. Returning from Korea, he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Patrick, and immediately took his new bride to his next post at Fort Campbell, KY in August of 1955. In 1957, his unit, the 168 Engineer Combat Battalion was deployed to Germany with equipment, wives, and children. He served as Commander, Company C, 168th BN, and over time, served as the S-1 personnel officer the S-4 Battalion Supply Officer.

Jim left the Army during the summer of 1958 to seek a college education. He graduated from State University College at Oneonta in June 1963. In October of 1963 he re-entered the Army as a Captain.

From 1963 to 1985 when he retired, Jim served two tours in Vietnam, and tours in Germany, Paris, and the Netherlands. He graduated from the Engineer Officers Career Course, the US Army Command and General Staff College (Fort Leavenworth, KS), and the NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy.

During his period of service, he served under eight Commanders-in-Chief, from Truman to Reagan. He had the honor and privilege of serving as a Military Escort at the State Funeral of Harry Truman in Independence, MO in December 1972.

Following retirement, Jim worked at Interknitting, LTD from 1986 to1996. He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Richmondville and Ralph Sperbeck Post 249 American Legion.

Survivors include his wife, Dorothy (Patrick) Moot, whom he married August 14, 1955; one son, Timothy (Corina Schreyer) Moot, of Hurley, NY and their children, James and John Moot; one daughter, Sylvia (Ronald) Letteron of Fort Plain, and her children, Aurore LaVine, Gabriel LaVine, and Noelle LaVine; and two sisters: Carol (Ronald) Maurice and Jeanne Chase, all of Richmondville.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, November 19, 2010 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Main St., Richmondville with Rev. Elaine Berg and Rev. Marvin Batcher co-officiating. Inurnment with full military honors will follow in Summit Cemetery. Family and friends are also invited to a period of visitation to be held from 6 to 8 PM on Thursday at Mereness-Putnam Funeral Home, 171 Elm St., Cobleskill.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, 795 E. Main St., Cobleskill, NY 12043 or St. Peter's Hospice Inn, 315 S. Manning Blvd., Albany, NY 12208.

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