Richard Moran

“There is no such thing as an ordinary life.”- Mark Twain

Richard Thomas Moran was born on September 8, 1938 in Bay Ridge (Brooklyn) NY. He was the second child of Joseph F. and Isabel Ryan Moran and attended Our Lady of Angels Catholic Elementary School and St. Francis Prep High school.

He served in the United States Army from 1956-1959. He enlisted as a Military Policeman with the 716th MP BN out of Fort Dix NJ, and was stationed in Korea for most of his service.

He was honorably discharged earning the rank of E4 (specialist) before returning to Brooklyn to earn a BS in Accounting from Long Island University. He embarked on a career with Gulf Oil Company that took him from NYC to Pittsburgh PA, Houston TX, and California. He enjoyed traveling all over the world for business and always brought home interesting souvenirs to his family.

He enjoyed spending time with his children volunteering in their Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, soccer and baseball programs. Some of his best memories were coaching their sports teams in Pittsburgh.  Upon retirement from Gulf/Chevron, he returned to Houston and earned an MS from the University of St. Thomas in Finance and completed the work to become a Certified Financial Planner. He returned to the UST to prepare for a second career as a math teacher and school administrator in both secondary and college education.

His career change led him to his wife Marcia Moran (formerly Goodwin) meeting her at an Education conference in Tampa in 2002. They were married on December 31st 2004.

“Every New Year’s Eve (on our anniversary) we would watch Casablanca and toast the new year. It became our favorite tradition.”

Richard and Marcia both loved to travel. Their retirement life was full of “Trains, Planes, Automobiles, and Cruise Ships” all over the world.  His favorite trip was to Ireland (where he got to go to the town his grandfather was born in) and his most interesting trip was Eastern Europe and Russia. At home in Florida, It didn’t matter how hot the temperatures got, Richard loved being on the golf course or the beach. He spent much of his time golfing with his friends all over the state. One of his proudest moments was when he got a “hole in one” at the Waterlefe Golf Club in Bradenton.

Richard was a Steeler and Pirate fan (and later a Tampa Bay Fan) and enjoyed taking his kids to home games instilling a love of sports and a “Steel City” pride. Seeing all four of his adult children attend a Steeler game together in Pittsburgh last winter brought much joy to him.

He also took great pride in being an Aggie Dad and was an avid fan of Texas A&M sports. He loved a good debate and encouraged quite a few. He enjoyed reading Tom Clancy novels, watching westerns, and listening to Sinatra. His favorite song was “As Time Goes By”. 

Richard is survived by his loving wife and best friend Marcia Moran. He leaves behind his four children: Michael Moran, Kathleen (Moran) Palmer, Marybeth Moran, and Daniel Moran as well his two stepsons Mark Goodwin and Tim Goodwin. He also leaves behind 12 grandchildren, four step grandchildren, one great grandchild, and his beloved dog Roxy.

Marcia would like everyone to know how much she will miss her best friend.

“He made me laugh everyday and taught me to not take life too seriously. I could tell him anything and receive no judgement. I will miss him forever.”

Richard T. Moran’s service will take place at Bay Pines Veterans Cemetery on 18 August 18th 2023 at 1 PM with full military honors.

Please arrive by 12:45. The address is 10000 Bay Pines Blvd, Saint Petersburg, FL 22744.

*In lieu of flowers, donations to The Bay Breeze Dialysis Center in Largo Florida would be appreciated.