Obituary of Hurshal Franklin Moore

Hurshal Franklin Moore, 85, passed away February 7, 2019.Franklin was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, December 31, 1934, to H.V. Moore and Anna Raab Moore. He moved to Fort Worth at the age of 5 with his family taking residence on the “North Side”. He attended All Saints Catholic School and North Side High School, graduating in 1953. He earned an Associate in Science degree at, then, Arlington State College, and went on to The University of Texas earning his B.A and then Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1959. Franklin was then called to duty and served in the Army at Fort Polk and Fort Jackson where, on a blind date, he met Barbara Miller Moore who he married on September 16, 1961 in Columbia, South Carolina.Upon Army discharge, he took up the practice of law beginning in Wichita Falls. There he found he did not have the taste for oil and gas law because, as he always said, he went to law school so he would not have to do math! He returned to Fort Worth joining the firm of Crumley, Murphy, & Shrull where he stayed through various name changes ultimately being Murphy, Moore, & Griffith. He spent the better part of his career in the area of personal injury insurance defense and though he said he did, he never really retired.He was a member of many professional organizations of which he served as president, director, board member, etc. Most notably are the State Bar of Texas, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, American Board of Trial Advocates, and Dispute Resolution Services. He was a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and member of The Ex-Students’ Association University of Texas. He was most dedicated as a member of the Tarrant County Bar Association where he served as President (1986) and on committees too numerous to name. He was a fixture at the Bar Office for Legal Line taking calls from the public and giving “free legal advice” – he typically ended by telling the caller that “the solution to your problem is to hire a lawyer!”Franklin was an active member of St. Andrew Catholic Church for over 55 years where was a frequent lector, Parish Council member, St. Andrew’s School Board when his children were in school there, and on the Board at Nolan Catholic High School as they progressed to higher learning.Franklin’s dedication the Church is also shown through his extensive work with several prestigious organizations. He was an esteemed member of the Knights of the Holy Seplulchre and Serra Club each of which he dedicated countless hours along with his various leadership positions. He was also a longtime member of The Knights of Columbus.Franklin loved to travel. His children can tell some of some harrowing adventures driving around the country in the back of a station wagon and those escapades, strikingly similar, were passed on resulting in the grandchildrens’ most hilarious recollections of Spring Break with Grandmommy and Granddaddy. He and Barbara commonly took trips planned around conventions both home and abroad, and travelled frequently to Austria and Belgium to visit dear friends.Wine making was his favorite hobby. He regularly put his kids to work bottle washing at a nickel a bottle and going out to pick grapes and blackberries in what they believed to be the scorching sun only to be compensated with a (small, of course) Slurpee. Alas, from those 5 gallon water jugs in the basement came some mighty fine wine; most recently the strawberry wine that was the hit at his granddaughter’s wedding! Tennis was his sport and, a force to be reckoned with, played on a regular basis well into his ‘70’s.Franklin can undoubtedly be best described as a man of highest service and all this being said, his greatest love and object of dedication in life was his wife, Barbara, their four children, and four grandchildren.Survivors: His wife of 57 years, Barbara Miller Moore; daughters Christine Marie Holtz and husband Gregory, Paula Rachelle Moore, Elizabeth Ann Keoughan and husband Marty; grandchildren Kathleen Keoughan Sparks, Emily Rae Keoughan, Anna Moore Graves, and Mason Gregory Holtz. Having predeceased him, his beloved son, Stephen Francis Moore who passed away April 7, 2016.