Laura Yvonne “Mickey” Murphy Moore
Laura Yvonne “Mickey” Murphy Moore was born on Friday, May 25, 1951, to M.B. “Doc” Murphy and Alice Pearl “Blondie” Kuykendall Murphy. From the very beginning, Laura lived vividly and fully, marked by confidence, creativity, and grit—qualities that defined her life and touched everyone fortunate enough to know her.
She graduated from Liberty High School in 1969, where she was Head Twirler and actively involved in band, junior play, volleyball, the Thespian Club, Future Teachers of America (FTA), Future Homemakers of America (FHA), and Spanish Club. That same year, she was crowned Miss Big Thicket along with many other pageant titles, already demonstrating her confidence, poise, and love of performance.
In 1969 and 1970, Laura performed in USO shows in support of her brother, Lucky, who was fighting in the Vietnam War. Her specialty was singing and dancing to Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’.”
From 1970 to 1972, Laura performed as a regular featured dancer on The Larry Kane Show in Houston, sharing the stage with musical legends including The Who and Al Green. Those years gave her a front-row seat to music history and stories she loved telling for the rest of her life.
She earned her Associate Degree from Lee College in 1970 and began working as a paralegal in Houston for Junell and Associates, one of the city’s largest law firms. During this time, she famously met astronaut Alan Shepard, who once asked her to “go to the moon with him.” She also mentored and supported a fellow pageant contestant, Phyllis George, who would later become Miss Texas in 1970 and Miss America in 1971, an early example of Laura’s lifelong habit of lifting others up.
Laura’s life took a defining turn when Douglas Moore asked her to attend an athletic banquet while he was serving as head football coach and athletic director at Hull-Daisetta ISD. During the banquet, J.C. “Zeke” Zebranek famously stood and asked, in front of the entire room, “When are you going to marry this girl? You’ve had her over two or three times!”
Laura married Douglas on July 24, 1976, at First Baptist Church in Daisetta, Texas. Together they built a family anchored in love, humor, and resilience. Their son, William Travis Moore, was born on September 22, 1977, in Beaumont, Texas, followed by their daughter, Amanda Leigh “Manda” Moore-Joseph, born March 10, 1980, in Baytown, Texas.
Laura later returned to school—while raising her children—to complete her Bachelor of Science in Education at Stephen F. Austin State University in 1988. Her decision to go back to school as a wife and mother reflected the determination and work ethic she would later instill in countless students: that learning is never finished, and growth does not wait for perfect timing.
Laura devoted her professional life to teaching and shaping young minds. She began her career teaching 5th grade at West Rusk CISD and went on to serve students across Texas at Brady ISD, Edinburg ISD, Sealy ISD, Liberty ISD, Trinity ISD (where she was nominated for Teacher of the Year for Region 6), as well as Oakwood ISD, Crockett ISD, and Kenard ISD, before retiring.
Among her many accomplishments, Laura developed an innovative reading program in partnership with the NFL and MLB, using rewards to motivate students to read. The program was so successful that schools quickly exhausted their book supplies, requiring expanded budgets as students far exceeded expectations. She also introduced the Rodeo Art program, partnering with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to allow students’ artwork to be judged at the annual event, awarding scholarships that helped fund their future education. Laura proudly implemented these programs wherever she taught, believing opportunity should follow children, not geography or circumstance.
A championship twirler herself, Laura passed her expertise to hundreds of young women across Texas through private instruction, including her daughter Manda, who began performing regularly with the Blooming Grove High School Marching Band at just three years old, both on the field and in parades. Teaching was always at the forefront of Laura’s life.
Art was one of Laura’s deepest passions. She especially loved the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and shared that love early and intentionally with her son Travis, encouraging and supporting his path toward a career in art. She went on to help hundreds of students identify, develop, and believe in their own artistic talents. When her grandson Jagger was born, Laura had him creating abstract art at age one and continued teaching and encouraging him as he grew. The walls of her home became a living gallery, filled with the work of Travis, Jagger, countless students, and some of her own cherished pieces.
If you knew Laura, you knew what it meant to truly be seen. She was generous with her time, her talents, and her resources, quietly supporting family members, students, and friends by helping fund their education and dreams. She gathered many “chosen” children along the way—many of whom still call her Mom—and she loved her family fiercely and without reservation.
Laura leaves behind a legacy of creativity, advocacy, mentorship, and bold love; a life that made space for others to become who they were meant to be.
Preceded in death by:
Her son, Shane Simmons; her parents, M.B. “Doc” Murphy and Alice Pearl “Blondie” Murphy; her brother, Melton “Lucky” Murphy; her sisters, Shanna Bonvillian and Glenda Pearl Murphy; and her niece, Nicole Bonvillian.
Survived by: Her beloved husband, Dr. Douglas Moore; her children, Travis Moore and his wife Lama Haidar Moore, and Manda Moore-Joseph and her husband Mark Joseph; her grandchildren, Jagger Moore, Leina Joseph, and Liam Joseph; her brother-in-law Charles Cummings; her sister-in-law, Linda Murphy; her niece, Melissa Whittaker and her husband Timothy Whittaker; her nephews, David Murphy, Alan Murphy and his wife Kim Murphy; and many great- and great-great nieces and nephews.
She is also survived by numerous extended family members, lifelong friends, former students, and “chosen” children who continue to carry her love forward.
