Bonham, Texas -- Joe Dulaney Moss, a dedicated family man and esteemed community member, passed away on April 27, 2025. Joe was born on July 28, 1943, to James Harvey Moss and Dolores Dulaney Moss. Joe entered the world in a janitor’s closet in the basement of Allen Memorial Hospital due to a shortage of delivery rooms. Despite this humble beginning, Joe's life was marked by remarkable achievements and unwavering commitment to his values of faith, family, and hard work.

Joe spent his childhood working on his family's farm between Dodd City and Windom. The Moss Farm grew cotton, corn, wheat, oats and hay and raised cattle and pigs. Working on the family farm taught Joe the value of a hard day's work. “My parents worked every day of their lives and encouraged me to pursue my education, not just for my benefit, but for that of the community.”

After graduating from Bonham High School is 1961, Joe went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1965 and a Master of Science in Political Science in 1968 from East Texas State University. On November 23, 1971, Joe married Kathleen Moody Moss and then earned his Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law in 1975. As a young attorney, Joe opened a private practice in Dallas. He described it as one of the biggest challenges he had ever faced. “I was a young and inexperienced lawyer with few clients.” To make ends meet, during this time he worked nights teaching Political Science at Dallas County Community College and mornings delivering newspapers for the Dallas Morning News.

In 1981, Joe and Kathy moved back to Fannin County to raise their children and care for Joe’s aging parents. Joe’s commitment to his community was evident through his roles as a Little League coach, soccer coach, referee, and community leader in Fannin County Youth Sports, Boy Scouts, and the Kiwanis Club of Bonham.

When he returned to Fannin County, Joe joined the law firm of Cole & Moss until the death of Buster Cole in 1988. From Buster Cole, Joe developed a deep understanding of the responsibility and importance of the legal profession in the community. Joe practiced law with his brother James Samuel Moss, until James Samuel’s election as County Attorney of Fannin County, Texas in 1992.

Joe later formed the law firm of Moss & Cox with his longtime partner, Sharron Johnson, becoming a dominant legal presence in Fannin County until 2010 when he was appointed as the initial judge of the newly created Fannin County Court at Law. At the conclusion of his term as Judge in 2012, he returned to private practice and continued to represent families in North Texas to until he finally retired in 2023.

During his legal career, Joe handled more cases in the District and County Courts of Fannin County, Texas than any other attorney. He had the highest possible rating (AV) for legal ability and ethical standards from the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Review. Joe said that he became an attorney “in part to help grant hard-working people access to quality legal services.” He dedicated a good portion of his practice to providing low cost and pro-bono services.

In 2004, Joe and his partner Sharron Johnson were instrumental in establishing a legal aid clinic for Fannin County, along with Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. Joe was named pro-bono attorney of the year for Fannin County in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, and Grayson County in 2007. In 2008, Joe provided more pro-bono legal service through Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, to the low-income families of Fannin County than the combined efforts of all the attorneys of Grayson County for their county’s residents.

Joe also served on the boards of CASA of Fannin County and the Fannin County Child Welfare Board. He was named Citizen of the Year by the Bonham Area Chamber of Commerce in 2012.

Joe is survived by his wife, Kathleen Moody Moss, and their three children: James Moss and his wife Charla of Valley View, Texas; Stuart Moss and his wife Christina of Wylie, Texas; and Will Moss and his wife Rachel of Houston, Texas. He also leaves behind eight beloved grandchildren: Molly, Emma, Mara, Leo, Ellie, Ava, Charlotte, and Campbell. Joe was predeceased by his parents, James Harvey Moss and Dolores Dulaney Moss, his sister, Barbara Moore, and his brother, James Samuel Moss.

The family will receive visitors on May 9, 2025, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Cooper-Sorrells Funeral Home. The funeral will take place on May 10, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Dodd City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Kiwanis Club of Bonham or the Fannin County Children's Center.

Kiwanis Club of Bonham: PO Box 475 Bonham, Texas 75418.

Fannin County Children's Center: 112 West Fifth Street, Bonham, Texas 75418.

Joe Moss's legacy of hard work, dedication to his community, irreverent sense of humor and love for his family will be remembered and cherished by all who knew him.

You may sign the online guest book at www.coopersorrells.com