Thomas J. Moran

Thomas J. ("T.J.") Moran passed away at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Monday, May 18, 2015, age 84. He was born Sept. 30, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, and was the first college graduate in his family. T.J. graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, where he made lifetime friendships. He was a proud Korean War veteran and served as a first lieutenant in the Armed Forces and was a member of the military police, stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. At the age of 9 he began caddying and developed his enduring passion for golf. His last outing was at the 2013 CCLA Highlander Tournament (of which he was a founding member) where he and his son-in-law Rob Thrash won their flight. T.J. was a lifelong entrepreneur with many business ventures, including appliance and furniture stores, auto dealerships, construction and real estate developments, advertising agencies and radio stations to name a few. In the early 1970s, a business opportunity took him to New Orleans where he discovered Ruth's Chris Steak House and met founder Ruth Fertel. A few years later he moved his family to Baton Rouge and true to his entrepreneurial spirit, he convinced Ruth to allow him to open the first franchise of the steak house in 1975 on Airline Highway in Prairieville, the outskirts of Baton Rouge. He eventually moved the restaurant to its current location on Constitution Avenue in Baton Rouge in 1978. Once the largest franchisee of Ruth's Chris Steak House, T.J. also held franchises in 11 other cities. He went on to successfully found TJ Ribs and Ninfa's Mexican Restaurant and later opened Ruffino's Italian Restaurant, all in Baton Rouge. T.J.'s business philosophy can be simply stated as "“ "Try to find a way to make it better every day." A 26-year cancer survivor, T.J. felt particularly indebted to his radiation oncologist Robert Fields, M.D. and the staff at Mary Bird Perkins "“ Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center in Baton Rouge for his recovery from esophageal cancer, which inspired him to become a longtime supporter of the non-profit cancer care organization. In 1990, T.J. was a founding member of the Cancer Center's annual Charity Golf Classic, as it was then called. Today, the tournament is one of the Cancer Center's largest fundraising events, which generates funds to help save countless lives and allow for the creation of many new patient programs and services. Just two years after the golf tournament began, T.J. envisioned and assumed leadership for the highly successful "Brick by Brick" capital campaign for the construction of the six-story addition to the Cancer Center. In 2010, in addition to his sustained support , T.J. made an extraordinary $1 million gift to the endowment of the Cancer Center's Foundation to ensure patients and their families have access to all the services they need now and in the future. His overwhelming generosity, born of his desire to thank his caregivers for the excellent care he received, brought the Heart of a Hero grateful giving program to life. Gifts to this program will further his vision for high-quality community-based cancer care. Most recently, as part of the renovation and expansion project at the Cancer Center, the Thomas J. Moran Imaging Center, named in his honor, was unveiled, offering the latest in diagnostic technologies, which is important for treatment planning and follow-up care. As a dedicated community volunteer T.J.'s non-profit service has significantly improved the quality of life for many residents in Baton Rouge and throughout Louisiana. His humanitarian impact on the community, often from behind the scenes and away from public view, has touched the lives of young people, the disadvantaged and the ill. T.J. used his popular culinary venues to support hundreds of fundraisers benefiting many charitable organizations. A longtime fan of LSU basketball and friend of Coach Dale Brown, T.J. was founding director of the Dale Brown Foundation, which promotes educational opportunities for students from underprivileged backgrounds. He brought his expert business experience to the boards of the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, Girls and Boys Town and the Baton Rouge River Center. In addition to his board service, T.J. shared his business acumen and generous support with Boy Scouts of America "“ Istrouma Area Council; The Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes; St. Jude Research Foundation; Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital; LSU; University of Wisconsin and Emerge Center. T.J. is survived by his loving companion Judy Byers. He is also survived by his wife, Lois Burke Moran, and his five children and their spouses: Erin Thrash&husband Rob; Elizabeth Vance&husband John; Megan Moran&fiancé Paul McFall; Kathleen Jensen&husband Peter and Burke Moran&wife Melissa. T.J. was a loving grandfather, "Papa," to nine grandchildren: Leigh Vance Banaszak&husband John; Mallory Thrash Kridler&husband David; Brent Thrash; Cullen Vance; Sam Thrash; Katherine and Samantha Jensen and Thomas and Michael Moran. He is survived by his sister Rita Moran Kiebach and his grandnephew Robert "Bo" Kiebach&wife Ashley and his great grandnephew Hank Kiebach. He was preceded in death by his much-loved nephew and best friend Thomas J. Kiebach, D.D.S. The family wishes to thank all of the caregivers and friends who made T.J.'s last days so comfortable. In addition, the family recognizes the contributions of Robert Glim, George Brown, Pamela Delatorre, Vincent Tumminello, M.D., Carl Luikhart, M.D. and Robert Fields, M.D. who worked tirelessly to keep T.J. healthy and happy for so many years. Visitation will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA. on Friday, May 22, from 5:30 "“ 9:30 p.m. A celebration of his life and Mass of Christian Burial, officiated by Fr. Mike Schatzle, will be held Saturday, May 23, at 10:30 a.m. at St. George Catholic Church, 7808 St. George Catholic Drive, Baton Rouge. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mary Bird Perkins "“ Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center's Heart of a Hero grateful giving program "“ mbpolol.org/hero. An online guest registry is available atwww.rabenhorst.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.rabenhorst.com">www.rabenhorst.com.