Ardath Marie Sydor

Ardath “Ardy” Marie Moore Sydor was the seventh of eight children born in the Sandhills of Nebraska to Shelley Theodore Moore and Minnie Marguerette (West) Moore. The close-knit family endured the hard times of the depression and thrived on love, family, and hard work.

After graduating from Long Pine High School at age 17, Ardy joined her older sisters, Alice (and husband Leland Asa) and Carol (and husband Dick Goodsell) in St. Paul, Minnesota to attend Northwestern College.

Following her sister Alice again, she next moved to Omaha and become an elementary school teacher. Ardy loved working with children. She liked to say, “Being around young people keeps you young.” She attended the Westbrook Evangelical Free Church in West Omaha, a church started by Leland and Alice. Ardy eventually earned her master’s degree in Library Science.

During holidays Ardy would leave Omaha and head back to the ranch to see her parents. Often she would collect her nearby nieces and spirit them back to Omaha for a whirlwind week of fun; hockey games, Ice Capades, museums, and other things you could only experience in the big city.

In 1961 Alice & Leland and Carol & Dick moved to Langley, British Columbia, to help start Trinity Junior College (now Trinity Western University or TWU). A friend of Leland and Dick said, “You guys found some pretty good wives. Are there any more Moore girls?” They said, “There is only one left, the youngest sister, Ardy.” So it was arranged for Ardy to meet Mr. James “Jim” Sydor of Langley, British Columbia, and they hit it off.

After a large family wedding July 11, 1970 at the Westbrook church in Omaha, Jim and Ardy settled in Langley. Ardy loved Canada and was proud to earn her Canadian citizenship. Jim worked in education administration in Langley for 40+ years. He also served on the board of TWU. Ardy worked in the Langley School District for over 35 years as an elementary school teacher and as a librarian. She loved to read and loved books. She helped to develop the TWU library, and after retirement she developed and administered an extensive library for her church.

Jim and Ardy attended the Langley Evangelical Free Church together for 41 years until his death from cancer in 2011. They were big supporters of Trinity Western University. Extremely generous hosts, they often had university students living in their home. They were also very involved in Christian missionary work and frequently hosted foreign missionaries home on leave.

Jim did most of the cooking, but Ardy was an avid gardener. Her fruit orchard, berry vines, and vegetable gardens were a sight to behold. She provided produce for her neighbors, church family, and friends. Ardy was known to randomly knock on the door of neighbors and ask if they would like some freshly picked sweetcorn or pumpkins. Generosity characterized Ardy’s whole life. She always was willing to share whatever she had.

Ardy loved to travel. She and Jim traveled extensively in Canada and the United States. She loved most of all to visit her family, especially her parents on the family ranch in Nebraska, but she also traveled to Japan, Mexico, and most of Europe. When her father’s mother was very ill she drove her parents from Nebraska to California so her father could see his mother once more before she died.

Music was a big part of the Moore family, and Ardy loved to sing and play the piano. She would play and sing with anyone willing to join in. Favorites included hymns and old gospel songs. She was amazed to find that the songs she learned as a child in rural Nebraska were the same ones her neighbor Judi had learned as child in rural Ontario, and they enjoyed singing together on their daily walks. Ardy’s strong faith was an inspiration for others and supported her through life’s joys and trials.

Family and friends remember Ardy’s beautiful laugh. She was always filled with joy. A lifelong pleasure was playing Scrabble with her sisters, but she also became known for always having a large jigsaw puzzle in progress on the dining room table. She loved all kinds of crossword puzzles and word games. As a young woman she would sit in the middle of the floor with her full skirt all around her reading the newspaper and especially enjoying the funny papers.

In her final years, Ardy came to live once again with her sister Carol, this time in the Washington home of Carol’s son, Gordy, and his wife Lynda. Ardy and Carol were involved in the Bonney Lake church and several missionary activities.

As their health declined, both sisters moved to a care center in Idaho to be near Carol’s daughter, Sharon. Carol passed away in 2022. Ardy struggled with memory issues and she passed away July 19, 2025 after a fall which fractured her hip. Her last clear memories were of her cherished hymns and songs.

Ardath Marie is remembered with love and gratitude by her family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Sydor, her parents, S.T. and Minnie Moore, her sisters Lois (Sheldon) Wade, Ila (Eldon) Horner, Alice (Leland) Asa, Carol (Lyle) Birkey, and her brothers Lynn (Lois Jean) Moore and Harry (LaWanda) Moore. She was also preceded in death by nephews Duane Hulshizer and Warren Horner, and nieces Velda Klooz and Teresa Brauser.

She is survived by her sister Clara (Dodie) Roundtree of Scurry, Texas, her sister-in-law LaWanda (Harry) Moore of Aurora, Colorado, former brother-in-law Richard “Dick” Goodsell of Tucson, Arizona, and her nieces and nephews: Marilyn (Scott) Bolinger, Yvonne (Robert) Ritchie, Steven (Cynthia) Hulshizer, Carolyn (Stan) Clark, Joyce (Brian) Grinder, Mary (Tom) Boehm, Rachel (Gordon) Busenitz, Genia (James) Entz, Sandra (Kevin) Lundberg, Bert (Tracey) Asa, Betty (Dick) Thompson, Jerry (Kim) Moore, Myron Moore, Joe (Vickie) Roundtree, Jim (Holly) Roundtree, Bobby (Adelaida) Roundtree, Susan (Rick) Cheek, Rod (Kathy) Goodsell, Brian (Traci) Goodsell, Gordon (Lynda) Goodsell, Greg Goodsell, Sharon (Rob) Green, Mike (Peggy) Moore, and Gary (Diana) Moore. Ardath is also survived by Jim Sydor’s sisters; Doris Newransky of Winnipeg and her two children Debra Jean (D Bruce) Moore and Steven Newransky, and Jenny Shkurhan of North Vancouver and her two sons Gordon Shkurhan and Glen (Cheryl) Shkurhan.

A graveside service will be held and the Langley Lawn Cemetery, 4393 208 St., Langley, B.C. Canada on August 19, 2025 at 10:00 AM. If you would like to make a donation in Ardath’s name in lieu of flowers, here is a link to donate to the Jesus Film Church Planting Strategy.

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