Allan Mooney

Allan Wayne Mooney, age 69, passed from this life into eternal peace with Jesus Christ on December 6, 2025, at his home on the family ranch in Ovalo, Texas. His passing marked the close of a long and richly lived journey, one shaped by service, intellect, craftsmanship, and a deep and abiding love for family and the land he called home. Through every season of his life, Allan carried a spirit defined by resilience, curiosity, and a steadfast faith in God's guidance.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, December 11, 2025, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Fry-Smith Funeral Home in Tuscola. A service celebrating his life will take place on Friday, December 12, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel at Beltway Park Church with Pastor Randy Turner officiating. Services are under the direction of Fry-Smith Funeral Home. Interment at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery will take place the following week.

Allan was born on January 25, 1956, at the United States Air Force Hospital at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas, to Walter Wayne Mooney and Elsie Faye Mayo. As the son of an Air Force airman, his childhood unfolded across Hawaii, North Dakota, and California. He also spent many summers on the farm of his grandparents, Henry and Ophelia, in Atoka, Oklahoma, where he learned the rhythms of the land and developed an early love for animals and open country. These experiences instilled in him a resilience, an observant mind, and a deep curiosity about the world. He completed high school in San Diego and stepped into adulthood already familiar with the challenges and opportunities that change can bring.

In 1974, Allan enlisted in the United States Army where he served with honor, rose to the rank of Sergeant, and received an honorable discharge in 1980. His years in uniform shaped him with discipline, steadiness, and loyalty, qualities that marked his character throughout his life. Allan carried his service with quiet pride, grateful for the brotherhood and purpose it had given him.

After completing his military service, Allan embarked on a remarkable path that would take him across continents and into several fields of work. He spent years in West Germany helping open McDonalds restaurants throughout the region. During that time he owned and operated several traditional gaststätte and formed enduring friendships within a local motorcycle club. The culture, pace, and challenges of life overseas broadened his horizons and prepared him for the entrepreneurial pursuits that would follow.

Upon returning to the United States in 1984, Allan continued his work in the restaurant world, contributing to the expansion of emerging chains such as Del Taco and El Pollo Loco across California. His gift for leadership and systems eventually led him to help build and manage Green Diamond, a landscaping company that grew into a thriving enterprise serving much of Southern California. The company held significant commercial contracts, including work at the well known Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos. The eventual sale of the business enabled Allan to move to Texas and purchase the ranch property where he would raise his family and spend the remainder of his years.

His natural drive for innovation led him next into the technology sector. Through C&A International, the computer and technology company he founded in Abilene, Allan played a role in modernizing banking systems in China as they transitioned from paper to digital infrastructure. He also built Michael Jordan his first personal computer, a story he enjoyed sharing for its unusual and memorable nature.

Alongside his professional accomplishments Allan cultivated a deep and lasting connection to horsemanship. He became an avid rider and team roper, spending countless hours at rodeos and developing a respected reputation for his understanding of horses. This passion matured into farrier work, where his calm demeanor and intuitive touch earned the trust of both animals and owners alike. His craftsmanship eventually reached as far as the legendary 6666 Ranch.

One of Allan's most remarkable achievements came later in life when he returned to school in his forties. With determination and humility he became a McNair Scholar, completed his doctoral studies, and earned his PhD. His academic work opened new doors in nonprofit leadership and community development. He worked closely with the Pruett Gerontology Center and the Nonprofit Management Center, helping numerous organizations across Texas establish their structure and mission. His legacy in these spheres lives on through the nonprofits that continue to serve their communities today.

Allan also served as an adjunct professor at Abilene Christian University and as an online professor for several universities including Ashford, Strayer and Capella University. He approached teaching with patience, humor, and genuine care. Many students remembered him as their favorite professor, grateful for the way he brought clarity to complex subjects and confidence to those who struggled. When Allan retired from teaching, he often said that what he would miss most was the daily relationship he shared with his students.

In his retirement, Allan also devoted more time to his lifelong love of music, playing guitar, writing songs, and sharing that passion with his children. Music became a cherished space of joy and connection for him, especially in the years he spent singing and playing beside his sons. Through every chapter of his working life, he continued to farm alongside his children, shaping a home life grounded in discipline, service, and love.

Allan is survived by his wife Cecilia Mooney. He is also survived by his children Nicole Mooney, Allan Mooney Jr., Matthew Mooney and his wife Lacee, Alex Mooney, Jacob Mooney, Brandon Mooney, and Benjamin Mooney. He is also survived by many grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He is survived as well by his sister Deborah Mooney and his brother Phil Mooney and his wife Karen, along with extended family who loved him dearly.

Allan was preceded in death by his parents, by his sister Karen Mooney, his sister Lori Ann Mooney, his granddaughter Hattie Mooney, and his son Justin Mooney.

Memorial gifts may be made to K9s For Warriors, an organization that provides trained service dogs to veterans.

Through a lifetime of study, hard work, adventure, and faith, Allan sought to build a life that mattered and to leave each place better than he found it. He lived with courage and curiosity, with an earnest desire to learn and to give, and with a devotion to his family that became one of his defining strengths. Music was a thread that ran quietly through his life, from singing Amazing Grace over his newborn sons to the melodies he later played beside them.

Above all his accomplishments, Allan considered his greatest honor to be that of a father. His love for his children shaped the rhythms of his days and the landscape of his life. His legacy endures in the lives he nurtured, the work he completed, and the countless people shaped by his presence.

He is remembered with deep gratitude and entrusted to the eternal care of God.