Betty-Ann Moore: A portrait of a life in public service

July 12 would have been Betty-Ann Moore's 83rd birthday, but she died in September last year. The first woman to be Democratic Party chair in Lake County, and the first female Libertyville Township Supervisor, Betty-Ann maintained a love of democracy and public service throughout her life, and challenged herself and others to be publicly and politically active while building relationships across all lines based on mutual respect.

Born into the Danish immigrant family of Emanuel and Elna Pieper Jorgensen in Hartford, Connecticut in 1938, she first learned about civics and government at Plainville High School, from where she was selected as one of Connecticut's representatives to Girls Nation in 1955. The first member of her family to attend college, Betty-Ann earned a degree in occupational therapy at the University of New Hampshire and after graduation, worked for the Veterans Administration rehabilitating the physically and mentally impaired.

She met and married physicist and entrepreneur John Fitzallen Moore in 1963, and started a family with him. After her two sons were born, Betty-Ann began to embark on public service in earnest. She served on the Housing Commission in Plainfield, New Jersey, dealing with integration and affordable housing, and as a member of the League of Women Voters there before moving to Lake County with her family in 1976. It was at that point that she chose to increase her political advocacy and activity.

While she enjoyed the League of Women Voters, and was fiercely defensive of the need to be nonpartisan in public debate, Betty-Ann found herself drawn to campaigning, and helped lead the Lake County effort of John Anderson in the 1980 Republican presidential primary - work that included hosting a fundraising garage sale at her Lake Bluff home. Her enthusiasm for Anderson saw her transfer her energies to his campaign as an independent against Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in the general election.

Betty-Ann's infectious energy for campaigning inspired youth activism: even teenagers too young to vote, who volunteered their time, were encouraged to take on roles. When First Lady Rosalynn Carter appeared in Lake County at a campaign event for her husband's reelection in 1980, she could not help commenting on the John Anderson poster being held by a 14-year-old - one of Betty-Ann's sons. The election in 1980 did not go in either Anderson's or Carter's favor, but it proved that participation in democratic processes could make an impact. During that campaign, and in her later public service, Betty-Ann pointed out the importance of reaching out to anyone and everyone, listening to others' views with respect and patience, and answering questions truthfully.

Across multiple generations of her family, Betty-Ann encouraged open political discourse, whether conversations about the events of the day or the possible scenarios for upcoming elections, but always advising the importance of finding common ground and common cause. She offered advice and guidance to candidates and family alike on public speaking and ethics. She inspired both her sons to enter public service: one was elected to two terms in the Santa Fe City Council, and the other chose a career in the federal government that has lasted more than 30 years.

Work and friendship with Lake County Clerk Grace Mary Stern inspired Betty-Ann to help Stern run for lieutenant governor in 1982 as Adlai Stevenson's running mate. She often cited that election - where Stevenson and Stern lost by only one-seventh of one percent - as proof that every vote counts. After Stern was elected as a state representative, and state senator, Betty-Ann served as Grace Mary's right hand. In her own right, Betty-Ann became the first female chair of the Lake County Democratic Party, and was a Democratic convention delegate for Gary Hart in 1984 and Bill Clinton in 1992. She later became the first female Libertyville Township Supervisor, and was reelected to that position. After many successes, ranging from multiple acquisitions of public lands for preservation to restoring the township's facilities including the food pantry, she followed through on a vow to know when it was time to leave, and did not seek reelection in 2008. Betty-Ann was also honored to be appointed as a director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority; major projects to improve the tollway were completed during her tenure.

Given Betty-Ann's standing in the Democratic Party, then-state senator Barack Obama reached out for her endorsement in the 2004 primary for the U.S. Senate. While a fan - she had flagged Obama's political momentum for family members soon after he was first elected in 1996 - Betty-Ann offered best wishes, but remained loyal to the other candidate to whom she had already offered support.

Betty-Ann stayed curious and open-minded throughout her life. She inspired fiercely loyal friendships, and took her place at the center of a family that also included John's five children from an earlier marriage. She did not suffer fools gladly, but she never allowed divisions of race, class, or party to keep her from connecting with anyone, striking up a conversation around our shared humanity and the experiences of daily life.

In addition to service, loyalty, and love for democracy, Betty-Ann lived the principle of knowing when it's time to move on. After a series of hospitalizations, she elected to move to hospice care at home in Libertyville and died in her sleep four days later. She is greatly missed by family and friends, but her legacy of political activism and public service lives on.

• Jonathan and Cristopher Moore are sons of Betty-Ann Moore. Jonathan, of Libertyville, is a U.S. diplomat in Washington, D.C., but is writing in a personal capacity. Cristopher, a physicist, lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.