Laura King Moon
Aug. 27, 1953-Oct. 27, 2015
Woodland, California
Submitted by Bonnie King
Laura King Moon passed away surrounded by family on Oct. 27, 2015, following a courageous battle with cancer. She was 62.
Laura was born in Weisbaden, Germany, on Aug. 27, 1953, and grew up in Palo Alto, California. She was the eldest daughter of Mary Brownson Haight and David Burnett King. Her stepfather was Boyd J. Haight. She attended Gunn High School, graduating in 1971. Following graduation, she attended UC Berkeley where she earned a Bachelors of Science Degree (1975) and a Masters of Science Degree in energy and resources (1977).
After graduation, Laura worked as a senior staff scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council from 1977 to 1994, as an environmental affairs officer at the East Bay Municipal Water District (1994-1995), and as special assistant to the regional director at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (1996-1997). During these years she married her first husband, Alan Waltner, and settled down in Oakland, California. She gave birth to her daughter, Margaret Rose Waltner, in 1986.
Following a divorce Laura went on to marry Greg Moon in 1998 and became a stepmother to Brian and Erica Moon. They settled in Woodland, California, where Laura served in a series of professional appointments in the field of water management, including director of strategic planning at the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority (1997-1999), assistant general manager at the State Water Contractors (2000-2011), and project manager for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan at the California Department of Water Resources (2011-2013). In 2013 Laura was appointed chief deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.
Laura cherished time with her immediate and extended family. She especially loved walking her dogs and rooting for the San Francisco Giants with her husband Greg; attending the farmers market with her daughter Meg; and doting on her grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was a "lefty" with perfect handwriting who always remembered birthday and Christmas cards (and great presents to go with them). Laura was also an avid gardener and accomplished cook who regularly hosted large, festive family gatherings. As a lifelong bookworm and animal lover, she loved to cuddle up with a good book and a purring cat, but also had a great love of the California outdoors, where she enjoyed hiking. Her favorite spots were Redwood Regional Park and Point Reyes National Seashore.
Laura is survived by her husband Greg Moon of Woodland, California; daughter Meg Waltner of San Francisco, California; stepson Brian Moon of Irvine, California; stepdaughter Erica Moon of Fairfield, California; father David King of Corvallis, Oregon; and stepmother Nita King of Corvallis. She is also survived by her siblings Bonnie King of Palo Alto; Thomas King of Oakland; Hannah King of Corvallis; Steve King of Portland, Oregon; Charlotte Haight of San Francisco; Anne Piascik of Morristown, New Jersey; Ebony Haight of San Francisco; Michael Haight of Mountain View, California; and Beckett Haight of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is lovingly remembered by her nephew Evan Piascik and niece Emma Piascik, of Morristown, New Jersey; nieces Keannah, Kiah and Kaelani Hollister of Corvallis; nephew Dylan King and niece Emily King of Portland; her grandsons John and Anthony Silva of Fairfield; and her adoring golden retrievers, Daisy and Maggie.
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