David McDaniel Moore II. 80, of Greensboro, NC, died peacefully on September 19, 2024, at Well-Spring Retirement Community in Greensboro having lived an exceptionally productive, worthy, and rewarding life. He was surrounded by his loving family and his devoted wife of more than 57 years, Agnes Shipley Moore.
A Celebration of David’s Life will be held at First Baptist Church in Greensboro on October 4 at 2 pm. The service will be livestreamed through fbcgso.org/memorial
David was born in Lenoir, NC, on July 31, 1944, to Jacob McDaniel Moore and Elizabeth Hair Moore. Shortly thereafter, his family moved to Granite Falls, NC, and established a small dairy farm. As David grew up, he worked on the farm, milking cows daily, learning the value of hard work. He also learned the value of education from his mother, who taught elementary school, and his father, who served as a school principal.
David graduated from Hudson High School and was named a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Upon graduation, David was again awarded a Morehead scholarship to the UNC School of Law, where he became a member of the Carolina Law Review, was inducted into the honorary society The Order of the Coif, and graduated with Honors.
After graduation, David clerked with the Honorable J. Braxton Craven, Jr., Judge of the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals. He then joined the Greensboro law firm of Smith Moore Smith Schell & Hunter. Although the firm grew and its name evolved over the years, David practiced law there for 40 years, specializing in complex litigation and eventually serving the firm as Managing Partner. During his career, David was active in the Greensboro, North Carolina, and American Bar Associations, as well as a variety of civic organizations; he served in leadership roles in the United Way of both Greensboro and North Carolina; and he served as a Permanent Member of the Judicial Conference of the 4th Circuit.
David and Agnes first met in 1962 at 4-H Club Week in Raleigh, NC, and married on August 27, 1967, in Agnes’ hometown, Vilas, NC. During their long and happy marriage, they raised two sons, Mack and Jody, in Greensboro, instilling an appreciation for community, faith, sport, study, and their North Carolina heritage. They traveled widely with the boys and close friends to diverse places in the United States and abroad. David was also proud to have visited all 50 states.
At home and elsewhere, David pursued a variety of activities and interests. An avid student of history and adept storyteller, he was always reading and eager to learn. He also enjoyed hiking (everywhere from NC to Colorado to Switzerland), fly fishing, snow skiing, flower gardening, listening to bluegrass and jazz, and dining with friends. As a beloved “Grandad,” he found great joy in traveling to support the growth of his family, watching his grandkids sing, perform, and play various sports.
David was a devoted member of First Baptist Church. In addition to his service as a long-time Sunday school teacher and tenure on the diaconate, David invested himself in many committees to help strengthen the church for the future. With his calm demeanor, great sense of humor, generosity, and openheartedness with others, he nurtured and treasured many close friendships. David will be forever missed.
David is survived by Agnes, their two sons, David McDaniel Moore III (“Mack”) of Alexandria, Virginia, and wife Hannah, Joseph Gray Moore (“Jody”) of Greensboro and wife Christy, four grandchildren, Madeleine Gray Lim Moore (“Maddie”), Jacob McDaniel Moore II (“Jake”), Sarah Elizabeth Moore, and Joseph Gray Moore, Jr. (“JJ”), his brother Walter Hair Moore and wife Carolyn, of Granite Falls, NC; nephews and nieces, Caisy and Chad Moore, Natalie Smith, Angela Risk, Gray Shipley, and Laurel Hammig, extended family, Janie and Bob Shipley; numerous cousins, and by exchange student family member, Gernot Zarp, of Germany.
The family would like to express gratitude to their loyal friends and the caregivers at the Well-Spring Health Care Facility. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the UNC Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund, the UNC School of Law, or the First Baptist Church of Greensboro.
Morehead-Cain: https://www.moreheadcain.org/support-our-work/donate/
First Baptist Church: https://fbcgso.org/give/
UNC School of Law: https://give.unc.edu/donate?p=SLAW
