William Joseph Moran, COL (Retired), USA was called home on 12 March.  Being 92 years old, he was proceeded in death by damned near everyone.  Dad was the last remaining member of the Melvin and Nellie Moran family.  He was also proceeded in death by his soul mate and wife, Rita (1989), his daughter Kelley (2018), and son Michael (2021).  Dad is survived by daughter Tracey Burford (Mike), son Bill, (Jennifer) and daughter Megan Tourdot (Matt) as well as 14 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

Dad was a hard sonofabitch.  He had no time for candy asses or anyone who felt sorry for themselves.  A product of the tough Bush neighborhood in Madison Wisconsin, Dad understood early on that nobody was going to give you anything – that you had to work hard and fight for what you wanted.  He was a devout Catholic (most of the time) and relied on his faith to get him through some extraordinarily tough times.  Dad excelled in sports, graduating from Edgewood Catholic High School in Madison.  Dad was extremely proud of his Irish heritage, and with enough Miller Genuine Draft, he would on occasion start speaking with an Irish brogue. Nevertheless, he was an American first.

Dad was a true patriot and deeply loved America.  Dad served in the Army for over 32 years.  Enlisting in 1954, dad graduated from Officers Candidate School, Airborne School, Ranger School, the Armor Officers Basic and Career Courses, the Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College.  Dad had the immense honor of commanding the 1 ^st Squadron, 10 ^th United States Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers) in combat in Vietnam.  Dad loved being a Soldier and loved Soldiers, believing they were the best part of America.  As an Armored Cavalry Officer, he thought the only proper way for him to meet his maker was in a hand-to-hand fight on top of a burning Russian tank, and he believed that until the day he died.  Dad also had the honor of being the Commanding Officer at Ft McCoy, Wisconsin.

Dad believed in tough love and tried to teach his kids and grandkids that life was going to knock you on your ass, probably many times - that life ain't fair but you HAVE to get up and you HAVE to move forward.  You don't get to quit, so get on with it.  He was very direct and you always knew where you stood with him.  You may not have liked it, but you always knew.

He loved to hunt and fish.  It was expensive to take Dad fishing as he had a tendency to lose A LOT of lures.  One particular trip got so bad that one of his sons removed the treble hooks from the lure dad was using without him knowing it.  Dad fished that way for about 45 minutes and couldn't understand why he wasn't catching anything.  When he was told to take a close look at his lure, he was not amused.  And not very Christian like, either.

Dad especially loved to deer hunt, killing his last buck at the age of 91.  He took immense pride and joy in introducing his grand kids to deer hunting and was lucky enough to have the majority of his grandkids make their first kill while hunting with him.

Dad didn't mellow much in his later years, convinced he could make it through winter Ranger School again.  While that mentality got him to 92 years of age, it also caused him to do things a man his age probably shouldn't be doing, and it often made his kids sick with worry.  Payback, in spades.  Most of the time those things involved grandkids who were sworn to lifelong secrecy:  driving lessons almost on the golf course, rear truck bumpers wrapped in barbed wire, exploding deer.  So many memories….  that damned orange hat that he never washed; cigar butts everywhere; Dad – where are your hearing aids???; "You're my grandson and I love you but if you screw with me I will whip your ass"; Labradors; turkey butt; deer camps at Ft McCoy; "someone take me to see mom"; swearing all his kids were adopted; the "Click" buck; "I sure wish you would get your damned phone fixed – I can't hear a damned thing you are saying'…..

Dad was a very humble man – it was never about him. In a life full of accomplishments, the thing Dad was most proud of defines him the best.  Mom, his soul mate, suffered a massive stroke that left her as an invalid with severe brain damage.  Dad would not allow her to be placed in an institution as he considered that leaving her behind – something about 'for better or for worse'.  Instead, he brought her home where the family would care for her.  Dad did this while still on active duty and raising five kids.  He also took in and cared for his mother-in-law at the same time, until her passing.  When dad retired, and with help from his kids, he was the primary healthcare provider for mom.  Dad provided that care from 1975 until her death in 1990.  What he was most proud of was that mom NEVER had a single bed sore in those 15 years.  Never a burden, but a true labor of love.  He thanked GOD for every single day he had mom, no matter the circumstances.

Dad, thank you for what you did for mom, the family and our country.  You showed us what right looks like (and some wrong).  We are so happy you are reunited with mom, whom you have missed so terribly bad for so terribly long.  Give Mom and Kelley a hug, and punch Mike really hard, in a heavenly, loving kind of way.  You are profoundly missed….  Keep your nose in the wind and your powder dry, and we'll see you on the high ground.

The Moran family would like to express our sincere appreciation for dad's care givers, Karen, Amy and Sylvia.  Your heartfelt care brought solace to the family and we always knew dad was in good hands. You are true angels.

A private family mass was held at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Lawrenceburg, KY.  Arrangements entrusted to the Ritchie & Peach Funeral Home.