Friends, family remember Klowie Moore one year later

Friends and family gathered Saturday night at Sonic to remember the life of Klowie Moore on the one-year anniversary of her murder.

Sonic has become a spot of remembrance for Moore’s loved with a memorial banner that hangs from the front of the building and painted windows. It is where Moore worked and had several close relationships with friends and co-workers. Moore’s mother, Debbie said the family plans to keep holding memorials at the location on Klowie’s Dec. 28 birthday as well as every Sept. 11. She would have turned 21 this year.

“Klowie had so many friends and family who just loved her,” Debbie said. “We are just so appreciative of everybody at Sonic who has done so much to keep her and Coraline’s memory alive. Klowie never realized how many people loved her.”

Friends and family traveled into Graham from Dallas and as far as Florida to share stories and hold a candlelight memorial for Klowie and Coraline Monroe Moore, who was due to be born March 2.

“Klowie was really looking forward to being a mother,” Jennifer Neff, a close friend of Klowie’s said in a previous interview with The Graham Leader. “She really wanted to have a family. She was adopted so having her own child meant a lot to her.”

Everyone remembers her kind personality and trying to see past negativity.

“She always wanted to see the best in everybody,” Neff said. “Klowie was always wanting to help people and would do anything for them. She looked for hope in every situation.”

This sentiment was echoed in a statement released by the Moore family after the sentencing of Gage Gillentine, who pled guilty to murder - lesser included offense for a sentence of 40 years.

“She would have wanted a glimmer of hope somewhere. She was a god-fearing, good, happy, give you the shirt off her back type of girl. If you needed help, she was there always,” the Moore family said in a release. “She was very talented, smart and beautiful. She always thought she had no friends, but if you had been at the church, it was standing room only. There was no room for anyone else. Her friends really stepped up for us. Her friends set up a GoFundMe, her friends set up a memorial at Sonic.”

The mood was somber at times but also filled with smiles and laughter. Debbie encouraged others to keep Klowie’s memory alive.

“Klowie was just so beautiful inside and out,” she said. “There are so many stories of how kind she was. There are so many stories we could tell and some we probably shouldn’t. She was so young but thought she was so old at times. But she was such a caring person and so many people have so many great stories that I hope the keep telling and keep Klowie’s memory alive.”