Don was born on December 17, 1944, in Houston, Texas to parents Cecile Pillow and Robert E. Moore. He grew up in Houston’s Broadmoor / East End neighborhood and was a graduate of Stephen F. Austin High School. An only child, Don frequently gathered with his cousins for carefree camping and fishing trips. Alongside friends in his teenage years, he fine-tuned his natural skills as a mechanic, modifying and restoring classic muscle cars. Whether in the great outdoors or a garage, these two passions would come to define much of the joy Don found throughout his life. He was an avid bird hunter and fisherman, and although not formally trained, he brought the know-how and precision of an engineer to all things mechanical for anyone who ever needed a hand. Don boasted an impressive 40-plus-year career in Houston’s oil and gas industry, rising to leadership positions at several prominent companies. He made enduring professional connections and found dear lifelong friends in the oil patch, who together helped shape an era. Always putting his immediate and extended family first, Don was a selfless and loving giver of his time and energy, approaching life with a down-to-earth outlook and an abundantly kind heart.
He is preceded in death by his beloved parents, Cecile and Robert Moore; Moore and Pillow grandparents; his brothers-in-law Stephen John and Michael Lazzaro and several Moore, Pillow and Boss cousins. He is survived by his dear wife of 61 years, Virginia Marie; his son John, and his wife Kimberlee; their daughter, Madelyn; his son Frank, and his wife, Summerlynne; their daughter, Iris; bonus grandchildren Zuelia and Arman Khan, and Zuelia’s daughters, Vivienne, Olivia and Amelia; his sister-in-law Marita Lazzaro, nieces and nephew Marie, Nicholas and Christine, and many Moore and Boss cousins.
Visitation will be held at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home, 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston, TX 77023, on October 17, 2026, at 12:00 pm with a Funeral Service at 1:00 pm. A Committal Service to be held at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery with a Reception to conclude at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home in the Magnolia Suite from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
