Publisher's Note: To us at Parent USA City, Sunny Moore exemplifies the nurturing care and lasting relationships that a camper gains by being a part of the camp family year after year – lifelong friends met on a sunny day.

by Judy Howser
President, Clearwater Camp Foundation

It is with profound sadness that the Clearwater Camp community has witnessed the passing of Sunny Moore. She passed away on the evening of April 7, with her daughters at her side. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sunny and her family, and we take solace in Sunny’s steadfast faith that she is now at home with her Lord.

Sunny had a lifelong commitment to Clearwater Camp. Born on May 6, 1928, Sylvia Sommer Moore earned her nickname “Sunny” during her very first year as a Harbor camper because of her distinctive disposition. Sunny attended Clearwater for a period of 10 years as a camper, leader and counselor under the direction of founder Sara Holiday Sprague, better known as Halokwe.

Sunny MooreIt was when Sunny had grown to be a camp mother, in 1969, that Halokwe told Sunny she was her chosen successor. “My dear,” Halokwe reportedly told her, “you must take over Clearwater or it will close!” With five children, three daughters already at Clearwater, a son at Camp Minocqua, a younger daughter and a husband whom she loved, the assignment seemed impossible.

But with the support and encouragement of her family, Sunny accepted the call, with a clear  commitment to help girls discover their worth and potential through a positive camping experience. It was her strong belief that the presence of God provides the canopy of unconditional love, respect and kindness that prevails at Clearwater Camp. So, she and her daughters, along with other former campers and counselors, stepped forward in 1970 to ensure the camp's continued success.

Halokwe died in 1972 at the age of 87. Sunny continued to direct, and in 1975 she and her family, along with other committed friends, purchased Clearwater Camp. The untimely death of Sunny’s husband the following year changed their lives, and as a family the Moores plunged headlong into the challenge of sustaining Clearwater for the next generation.

Sunny Moore and “Chicago Daughters” at an alumnae gathering in 2006With her sense of deep dedication and sincere stewardship, Sunny provided leadership to Clearwater for more than 40 years. During that time, Clearwater’s enrollment increased and its facilities were well cared for and preserved so that Clearwater enjoys a fine reputation in the camp community. Through her efforts she developed a loyal core of campers and their families from throughout North America as well as from Europe, Asia, Central and South America. Generations of women have formed lasting friendships at camp and share the life-changing experience that is Clearwater.

It is said that one of the truest measures of a chief executive is grooming the next generation of an organization’s leadership. As with Halokwe before her, Sunny took on that task with passion as she mentored Laurie and Perry Smith. As a testament to the bonds of the Clearwater community, in 2008 the Clearwater Camp Foundation—formed under Sunny’s dynamic leadership—purchased the camp with the help of hundreds of donors and supporters. Sunny was an active and integral part of the Clearwater Camp Foundation each step of the way, mentoring board members as she had campers and staff.

It is with deepest gratitude to Sunny that past and present campers and staff can look forward to Clearwater Camp being there to help guide and encourage their daughters and granddaughters through their growth from childhood to young adult lives. Through her grace, wisdom and incredible capacity for unconditional love for all those around her, Sunny’s legacy will live on at Clearwater and beyond. Sunny gave us the will, spirit and commitment to continue in her legacy: helping young girls develop into women, women of promise and presence, empowered to move and lead.

Balm of the heart is here.
Here where the bolder foot paths cease,
Here where the best is true.
The loveliest road to the shrines of peace
Is the trail of the little canoe.
– Arthur Guiterman

About Clearwater Camp for Girls

Located on the shores of Tomahawk Lake near Minoqua in north central Wisconsin, Clearwater is a residential camp for approximately 120 girls between 8 and 16. Campers may choose one or two sessions from the seven-week season that extends from the last week of June through mid-August. There is also a five-day Family Camp in August after the second session ends.

Clearwater Camp is accredited by the American Camping Association. For more information on the camp, visit clearwatercamp.com. For more information on the nonprofit Clearwater Camp Foundation, visit clearwatercamp.org. The Memory Book created for Sunny, sharing stories from campers, staff, and the board and given to Sunny her before Christmas 2010, can be viewed here.

Photos courtesy of Clearwater Camp for Girls and Clearwater Camp Foundation