Randal “Randy” Fosdick Moore

 Randal “Randy” Fosdick Moore, a playwright, song writer and poet, passed away on the evening of Feb. 17 at Hospice of East Texas in Tyler, TX. 
 Randy, 73, worked as an accountant in Rusk, TX, but was so much more than his profession to his family and community. He was an artist of many colors – a poet, songwriter, musician, painter and even a playwright. He left no stone unturned when it came to his creativity. 
  In the late 1990s, Randy surprised the patrons of the Cherokee Civic Theater with several productions of his own, including “Home Grown Tomatoes” and “Tammit TV.” These two fictional comedies emphasized the day-to-day cadence of a small town through the local radio and TV stations. After the first two productions, he penned a full musical “OH Tammit!” that followed the same small-town theme, but through the eyes of the local theater community, a play within a play that included auditions, rehearsals, a soundtrack of 10 original songs, and the musical production of the fictional townspeople. 
  In 1998, Randy made newspaper headlines with his fourth play, “The Bridge,” a musical that educated citizens about the history of Rusk while also telling a tale of a father and his three daughters. “The Bridge” was a whole family affair, with close friends and family taking on jobs such as acting, stage crew and orchestra. Like in “OH Tammit,” Randy wrote 10 original songs for “The Bridge” and worked with his brother-in-law to score those songs for a small orchestra, rather than the traditional piano accompaniment. 
 “The Bridge” was such a success that the city of Rusk asked Randy and his Cherokee Theater partners to produce it for two more consecutive years and created a city-wide event called “Boxcars, BBQ & the Bridge.” The event earned Rusk a Texas Downtown Association Award for Best Promotional Event in 1999. 
Many knew Randy as a musician. In the early 1990s, he played in a three-part harmony band, “Esmeralda and the Fosdick Brothers.” They performed ‘60s and ‘70s covers, and original songs written by himself and his bandmate, known on stage as the other Fosdick brother. 
 Moore spent an entire lifetime penning poems and songs for his loving wife, daughters and friends, self-publishing books along the way: “Poetry in Silence,” “Ghosts in a House of Mirrors,” “Pocket Poems” and “Petals,” to name a few. He also wrote a novella in college, titled “The Mystery of the Stolen Drams,” and a humorous short book, “An Itch to Scratch,” about how to successfully play scratch-off lotto. He sold copies at Katie’s Pantry on the corner where he was seen scratching his own tickets from time to time. 
 In the late 1980s, Randy ventured into art of another kind – watercolor painting. He painted a small collection of scenes that line the walls of his family home. They include: “Terlingua,” “The Red Boots,” and “The Windmill,” to name a few. 
 Randy found special joy in supporting the talents of his three daughters and wife by attending school concerts and sporting events, as well as community theater performances. - He continued this tradition with his three grandchildren, who dearly called him “Poppy.” He encouraged creativity through make-believe and adventure, inventing stories about hidden landmarks and building cardboard villages in the yard from appliance boxes. He wrote many songs and poems for his wife Nancy throughout their life together, beginning with their first meeting in the summer of ’69, when they were just teenagers. They just celebrated their 50 Anniversary in June 2025. 
 Randy was born in Dallas, TX and later moved with his family to Houston, where he graduated from Spring Branch High School. He earned his bachelors degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1974 and loved East Texas so deeply that he relocated his family of five to Rusk in 1982. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 
Randy is survived by his wife, Nancy Moore; daughters, Wendy Moore of Fort Worth, TX, Natalie (Jason) Herr of Magnolia, TX, and Holly Moore of Bedford, TX; grandchildren, Carley Welch, Chloe Welch, and Carter Welch; and several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his brother Richard C. Moore, III of Austin, TX and sister Diane Moore Lynch of Belmont, CA. He was preceded in death by his mother Jean Fosdick Moore; father Richard C. Moore, Jr.; and stepmother Patricia Moore. 
Visitation is set for 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22 at Wallace-Thompson Funeral Home in Rusk, TX. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 23 at Wallace-Thompson Funeral Home with Rusk LDS Branch President Devan Waters officiating. The burial will follow at the Rusk Cedar Hill City Cemetery.