Lt. Col. Rudolph "Rudy" Moreau, Jr. U.S. Army, Retired

Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Soldier, Educator, and Administrator. Lieutenant Colonel Rudolph “Rudy” Moreau Jr, (USA-Ret), 92, of Schertz, Texas passed away surrounded by loved ones on Sunday, February 5, 2017. The son of Bessie and Rudolph Moreau, he was born November 25, 1924 in Port Arthur, Texas and resided in South Texas during his civilian and retiree years. Rudy was a devoted family man, beginning with his marriage to the love of his life, Mrs. Dorothy “Dottie” Jean Moreau, on June 7, 1946. From their union came 3 boys, Randy, Charles, and Michael, 5 wonderful grandchildren, Chris, Jeni, Wesley, Craig, and Brian, and 5 great grandchildren, Thomas, Chloe', Gracie, Kylie, and Cali. Rudy was preceded in death by his son Randy and his mother, father, and sister Gertrude, and is survived by the rest of his family and his wife. His story is a treatise on overcoming adversity to achieve success, and a testament to his philosophy of hard work and sacrifice.

His Education

Rudy’s primary education was interrupted after his father passed away during the Great Depression, and he left school to join the workforce at an early age. After returning from World War II, he finished his high school education in January of 1947 and went on to obtain his Bachelor’s in History from the University of Corpus Christi in 1955. In the final year of his Bachelor’s, Rudy managed to find the time to obtain ordination as a Baptist minister in Victoria. Rudy stayed in school while working as a history teacher and raising 3 boys, and obtained his Master’s degree in Education from Sam Houston State University in 1957. 8 years later, he completed the Army Medical Service Officer Career Course where he placed first in his class and was awarded the Carmack Medal. He continued studying throughout his life and obtained numerous certifications and citations for his academic achievements during his career.

His Military Service

Rudy began his military career as a draftee in 1943 and was assigned to the 3rd platoon of the United States Army’s 2nd Armored Division in the Reconnaissance Company of the 66th Armored Battalion. He completed his basic training in Ft. Benning, Georgia and was deployed to the European theater in April of 1944. Under the command of General George S. Patton, Rudy’s division arrived at Normandy on June 9, 1944 and he drove one of the first Sherman tanks onto Omaha Beach after the combat of D-Day. He continued with the 2nd Armored through France, Belgium, and Germany, relieving the 101st Airborne at Carentan and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. Rudy lived through the military history we see in movies today, and made it back home in October of 1945. For his service in World War II, Rudy received the Army of Occupation Medal, the Belgium Foraguerre, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

From 1962 to 1965 and 1968 to 1972 he served at Fort Sam Houston as a Reserve Officer, teaching classes in Writing, Study Techniques, and Healthcare Administration in the Medical Field Service School at graduate and undergraduate levels for more than 600 classroom hours per year. For his outstanding work as a military teacher during this time, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.

The interruption in his military teaching career was a due to a reinstatement to active duty and deployment to Vietnam, where he served as a medical officer and hospital administrator for the Medical Service Corps. Rudy’s leadership of front-line hospital units helped thousands of soldiers receive timely treatment for battle wounds and return to duty or safely home to their loved ones, and many of the same soldiers wrote him letters of thanks for helping them recover. Rudy received his highest award, the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces, in 1968. He also received the Vietnam Service Medal with Three Campaign Stars for his service during the Vietnam War.

Rudy was promoted to Lt. Col in 1970 and remained a reservist up until his retirement from the Army in 1972, continuing to teach Health Administration for the military. He served a total of 9 years of Active Commissioned Service, and 16 years of Federal Commissioned Service.

Rudy received many other honors during his military career including the National Defense Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.

In addition to his other military duties, Rudy conducted the Army oath of enlistment ceremonies for his sons Charles and Mike and his grandson Brian.

His Public Service

After completing his Bachelor’s degree, Rudy immediately obtained his Texas Teacher’s Certificate in 1955 for Elementary and High School education and taught elementary school in Knott. After a year of “West Texas Dust Storms”, he moved his family to Port Neches and taught speech and U.S. History for high school over the next 5 years. In 1960, he added certifications for Principal and Superintendent to his qualifications, giving him the ability to practice teaching and administration at any level in the state’s public school system. When he returned from another year of active duty Rudy became a lecturer and later Assistant Professor in the U.S. Army-Baylor University Graduate Health Care Administration program, where he taught Master’s courses for a total of 7 years. He enjoyed teaching both adults and children, and always strove to continue improving his skills to better share his knowledge with others.

After his career as an educator and his retirement from the Army, Rudy came back to public service in Oklahoma and then began his career as a Health Planner in Georgia in 1973. He came back to East Texas in 1973, and served as a Health Planner and Medical Facilities Planner for the State of Texas in the Department of Health and later as Director of the Division of Facilities Planning and Development from 1978 to 1982. Rudy retired from the public service for the State of Texas in 1982.

A Legacy for Generations

Rudy’s contributions to his State and Nation inspired many of his children and grandchildren to pursue careers in healthcare, serve their country in the military, and serve the state in education. His sons Mike and Charles both enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and served for several years each. They both went on to pursue careers in healthcare, Mike in laboratory services and Charles in nursing. Mike recently trained military students in Biomedical Technology on the same base that his father taught classes in Health Administration half a century before. His grandson Brian served his country in U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne division in Afghanistan and in Washington D.C. at Arlington National Cemetery as a member of the 3rd infantry’s honor guard, becoming the 2nd generation to carry on Rudy’s military legacy. Rudy’s daughter in law Tami has worked in healthcare for the past 10 years helping surgeons restore patients sight. His granddaughter Jeni has been a safety officer and patient care coordinator for a doctor’s office while studying for her English degree. His grandson Chris has worked for 3 of the state’s largest Universities while pursuing a career and Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering, and even gained experience as a medical facilities planner just like his grandpa. His granddaughter in law Brandy followed in Rudy’s footsteps and obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education on her way to becoming an elementary school teacher. His grandson in law Jordan worked as a paramedic before entering public service for the city of Georgetown. Finally, his great grandson Thomas will begin college this fall as an Education major and in 2021 will become the 3rd generation of the family to carry on his legacy as an educator.

We can’t thank him enough for his service to his country, his state, and especially to his family. He will always be remembered as an inspiration to us and an example of a life fully lived for God and his fellow man.

Arrangements under the direction of Colonial Funeral Home, Universal City, Texas.