Don Moore grew up in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1966 and then worked as an insurance actuary and commodities trader in the Chicago area after his military service in Vietnam. With a life-long interest in nature, history, literature, and the arts, he took up residence in New Orleans, accompanied by his wife Cathy, to immerse himself in the area's culture. He chose various formats in which to write, but never sought formal publication after the release of his only book of poetry titled, The Ballad of Ned Kelly and Lyrics from the Rustic Lyre (1973). He and Cathy moved to Lexington, Kentucky, to absorb the thoroughbred racing environment sustained in the surrounding scenic farmland. The Bluegrass region became his final home in February, 2019. Like Omar Khayyam, he wrote that he would retire "to the Garden tranquil-made." His ashes are spread in the serene quietness of his backyard microhabitat.
