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Dr. PJ Moore Jr., a man of great faith and integrity, passed away at the age of 102 on April 6, 2022, at his home in Clemont, FL. He was a well-respected medical professional who served
the people of Western North Carolina with exceptional medical expertise, dedication, and love. Throughout his life, he left a lasting impression on his community and his contributions will continue to live on, long after he is gone.
Born in Spartanburg, SC, as the only child of Mary Lucretia Trimmer Moore and Pierce Jones Moore, Sr., Dr. Moore was raised with a strong foundation of faith and integrity. After completing his education at Southern Junior College in Collegedale, TN, and Pacific Union College in Northern CA, he went on to attend Loma Linda University School of Medicine
in Loma Linda, CA. During his senior year, his entire class was drafted into the United States Army, and upon graduation in 1944, he was stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. He was tasked with revising field amputations on soldiers injured in battles in the European theater, and in his limited spare time, he took pride in teaching amputees how to play golf.
After being reassigned to a military hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he met Dora Deanne Crumley, an enlisted army nurse, and upon discharge from the army, they were married in Atlanta, GA. He completed a surgical residency at Georgia Baptist Hospital and then went to Spartanburg, SC, to do a surgical fellowship, where he was chief resident at Spartanburg
Regional Hospital.
Dr. Moore set up his first practice in Pickens, SC, but after a few years, he was called to go to a small, failing self-supporting Seventh-day Adventist institution in the mountains of Western North Carolina. With his leadership, the institution thrived and became Advent Health
Hendersonville, a well-respected hospital in the community. In the early days, he made
numerous house calls to homes on the gravel mountain roads, delivered babies, performed
surgeries without complications, and provided general medical care without discrimination to the residents of Western North Carolina.
After retiring from his surgical practice, Dr. Moore went to Saudi Arabia to work for the Army Corp of Engineers. Upon his return to the States, he continued to work as an ER physician, plant physician for Bon Worth and Diamond Brand, and contracted his surgical first-assist services to many of the area surgeons. Eventually, he scaled back to just surgical first assisting, which he did until the age of 90. At that time, he held the distinction of being
the oldest physician to have been granted privileges from Mission Hospital. At the age of 96, he decided not to renew his medical license and was told by the NC Medical Board that he was the oldest practicing physician in the state of North Carolina at the time.
After 57 years of marriage, his wife, Dee, passed away, and he went on to marry Elaine Twomley Moore (pictured with him below) at the age of 87. They were married for 14 years. He is survived by his wife, Elaine; and his five children; ten grandchildren; and ten great-granddaughters.
Dr. Moore received numerous recognitions for his contributions to medicine and the community. Some of his notable awards include the Order of Long Leaf Pine from the Governor of North Carolina, the Person of the Week from WLOS in March 2010, the Distinguished Service Award from Southern Adventist University, first annual Dr. Pierce J. Moore, Jr. and Dr. Arthur Pearson Award of Excellence from Park Ridge Hospital, Town of
Fletcher recognition for 50 Years of dedicated service, Honored Alumnus of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Star in the Hendersonville, NC Walk of Fame, and the Park Ridge Health Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
On November 11, 2020, he was honored to give the keynote address for Veterans Day in the city of Asheville, NC, and Mayor Esther Manheimer declared that day to be Dr. PJ Moore, Jr. Day, in recognition of his contributions to the community.
Dr. Moore lived a full and rewarding life, and now he rests, waiting to meet his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He will be remembered as a man of great faith, integrity, and love, who served his community with exceptional medical expertise and dedication.
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