Herb Moore

Henry Herbert “Herb” Moore Jr, 77, was born on August 27, 1939 in Clarksdale, MS and passed away gracefully in his home in Ocean Springs, MS on December 20, 2016. He will be remembered as an outspoken man whose character was above reproach. He was honest, well mannered, impeccably dressed and a splendid Southern gentleman. He proudly served four years in the U.S. Air Force as the Community Liaison Officer at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. He established himself as a man of great taste and was an Interior Designer for over 50 years; working in Memphis, TN, Houston, TX, Birmingham, AL, New Orleans, LA and finally Ocean Springs, MS where he owned and operated By Design and Herb Moore Interiors for over 20 years. Herb received American Society of Interior Design (ASID) awards in 2001, 2002 and 2005. He served as the ASID Chapter president in 2003. In 2006 Herb won the HGTV Designer’s Challenge and his design was featured on national television. Herb worked tirelessly for the community of Ocean Springs where he lived for nearly 40 years. He inspired and led the creation of numerous arts and cultural organizations, fundraisers and events which successfully raised funds for the arts and numerous charitable causes. Herb was an avid supporter of the Gulf Coast Symphony where he had served as board president and rarely missed a performance. He also was a charter member of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art Board of Directors. He was co-founder and served multiple years as president and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Historic Ocean Springs Association (HOSA). Herb was instrumental in securing the funding for the HOSA Bob & Virginia Meyer Award which encourages Historic Preservation in Ocean Springs. Herb, as president of HOSA, led the effort to raise funds and gifted his talents to design the HOSA Room at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center. In 2015 Herb was inducted into the HOSA Hall of Fame. He was co-founder of the Public Arts Project of Ocean Springs (PAPOS) and in 2016 he was presented with an original work by acclaimed artist Trailor McQuillken as a Community Service Award. He was extremely active and a long-time member of St. John’s Episcopal Church where he served on the Flower Guild. He frequently served as an usher and greeter at the 9am service and was instrumental in raising funds for the church’s new addition by serving as co-chair for the Capital Campaign. In 2002 he co-founded the Ocean Springs Renaissance Festival which for 10 years raised funds for local charities and was elected King of the Festival in 2005 and 2006. He is preceded in death by his father, Henry Herbert Moore, Sr.; and his beloved mother, Lillian Cooper Moore; his brother, Thomas Gordon Cooper; his life partner of 28 years, Steven Montgomery; his dear friend, Doris Leonard; and his adored dog, Duchess. Herb has left to mourn his passing, his three much-loved sisters, Lillian Sosebee Cole, Doris Neal and Martha Quinn; stepmother, Margaret Ann Seymour; his step siblings, Kelly and David; and his many nieces and nephews. He will be sorely missed and forever loved by his business partner of over 20 years, Linda Schroeder and The Lunch Bunch including Barbara Ackerman, Brit Sandblom, Dee Dee Munro, Jean Griffies, Melanie Allen, Ms. Mike Cuevas, Sheree Ranson and Sonia Cowart. His family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Herb’s memory to the Moore-Montgomery Scholarship Trust c/o St. John’s Episcopal Church, 705 Rayburn Ave. Ocean Springs, MS 39564. Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. until service time at 12:00 p.m. all at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ocean Springs, MS. Interment will be held in the church’s Memorial Garden. Reception to follow at the church. The Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.