Daniel L. Moore, MD

Dr. Daniel L. Moore of Summit, NJ died peacefully at the Barnabas Health Hospice Unit at Monmouth Medical Center on Wednesday, June 27th at the age of 80 after a brief illness. Although very active, working two to four days every week for the last nine years, he suffered from Myelodysplastic Syndrome which caused his bone marrow to make insufficient amounts of red blood cells. He was born on April 9th, 1932 in Marlinton, West Virginia. Valedictorian of his high school class, he was a graduate of King College in Bristol TN, playing basketball there all four years. He received his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and was a General Surgery resident at New York Hospital, Bellevue, and Downstate Medical Center. A Captain in the US Army, he spent 13 months in Vietnam from 1965-66 as the Chief Surgeon on the 8th Field Army Hospital in Nha Trang. Dr. Moore practiced General Surgery at Overlook Hospital in Summit from 1971 to 1999. He was an innovative surgeon who used novel research to perform breast conserving surgery in the treatment of breast cancer that proved to be superior to mastectomy. Early on he advocated for non-operative treatment of splenic rupture in pediatric patients that is now the standard of care. He was a master of all gastrointestinal surgeries but equally comfortable performing complicated surgery of the head and neck. He was a Clinical Professor of Surgery for Columbia University as well as a Clinical Instructor for Seton Hall University-UMDNJ's Physician Assistant program. He tried to instill in his residents his quiet confidence that would allow them to be fearless decision makers when they became attending physicians. Some of his more prominent residents included Drs. Eric Rose, Mehmet Oz, and Mark Sultan. A deeply optimistic and spiritual man, he was a member of the Presbyterian Church in the communities in which he lived almost from the time of his birth. A believer in the power of prays, his personal philosophy was summed up by the Reformed Church icon Rev. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale: “Pray like everything depends on God, then roll up your sleeves and work like everything depends on you." An avid bird watcher, he concentrated on raptors but was always on the lookout for a Cedar Waxwing or the elusive Scarlet Tanager. He enjoyed golfing and playing tennis with his family. His love and appreciation for art was broad but his most beloved style was the Hudson River School of Art. Of late he became interested in his family's genealogy; finding Scots-Irish ancestors tracing back to before the Revolutionary War. His Grandfather was a 1st Lieutenant in the Army of Virginia, wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness in Fredericksburg, VA. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sheila, and their children, Michael, John, and Elizabeth. His seven grandchildren, Jack, Tommy, Cameron, Daniel, Christopher, Dalia, and William know him as a magician and maker of paper airplanes. His elder brothers William and Stanley live in Rio Dell, California and Florida, respectively. He is also survived by a daughter, Paula, from a prior marriage. At a later date he will be interred at the Marlinton Mountain View Cemetery which overlooks the pristine mountains of Pocahontas County, West Virginia. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Wounded Warrior Foundation/ www.woundedwarriorproject.org or the McClintic Library, 500 8th Street, Marlinton, West Virginia 24854, a branch of the Pocahontas County Free Libraries, 304-799-6000.