Arlen Carl Moore, 85, of Sweet Home, Oregon quietly passed away Monday, March 13, 2017 in his own home. Arlen was born in Randle, Washington, the son of Aaron and Katherine Moore and the husband of Ruby Geraldine Moore (Gerri). Arlen fought an almost decade-long battle with Parkinson’s disease followed by a dramatic stroke the week before his passing.

Arlen grew up in Keno, Oregon hunting, fishing, and saving his lunch money to buy model airplane kits. After high school graduation, he moved to a logging camp in Shevlin, Oregon where he worked as a chainsaw mechanic. While there, he met his wife of 66 years, Ruby Geraldine Beaver.

After marrying Gerri in 1951, they moved to Sweet Home, Oregon where Arlen worked for Willamette Industries for almost 40 years as a forklift operator. He prided himself in being as efficient as possible and not having people wait on him.

Arlen ran Langmack Airport for Dr. Langmack for over 30 years. He had his own hangar at the airport, which allowed him to store and build the various gliders and airplanes he owned and built throughout his lifetime. Arlen lost his right eye in a forklift accident while working at Willamette Industries, which made it an amazing feat to even hold a pilot’s license.

Arlen built various flightworthy aircraft of his own design over his aviation years. In 1966, he finished building the “SS-1,” his own custom design and the first aluminum glider in the Northwest. He took this homemade glider to over 18,000 feet in altitude and flight spans of over 200 miles in single flights. He earned Gold, Silver, and C badges from the Soaring Society of America while flying the SS-1. Arlen pioneered the soaring site at the Alvord Desert, a dry lake at the base of the Steens Mountain in Southeast Oregon with the SS-1. The SS-1 currently resides in the US Southwest Soaring Museum as part of a historical display denoting an important part of Western United States soaring history.

In 1982, Arlen finished building the “SS-3,” a single-passenger, prop-driven plane of his own design. He flew the SS-3 for over a decade before retiring from Willamette Industries and moving to Sisters, Oregon, where he also retired from flying. Over his aviation years, Arlen was featured on the front cover of various soaring magazines for his accomplishments.

Above all, Arlen was an avid builder, building various musical instruments, racing boats, canoes, kayaks, model airplanes, and gliders over his lifetime. He also had a love for photography and managed to incorporate his own photo dark room into his single car garage with all of his other projects. Arlen prided himself on being self-taught in what he built over the years.

Over his lifetime, Arlen was offered a number of jobs in the aviation field, including teaching aeronautics at OSU and even a position at Boeing designing planes. He declined both.

Arlen is survived by his wife, Gerri Moore, of Sweet Home; daughter Jan McDonald, also of Sweet Home; brothers Terry Moore of Eugene and Darcel Moore of Hawthorne, California; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Aaron and Katherine Moore; son Craig Moore; brother Alvin Moore; and sisters Bonnie and Barbara.

His service was held March 18th. He was laid to rest at Gilliland Cemetery the same day.

Memorial contributions can be made in Arlen’s name to the Soaring Society of America.

Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements.