Whether at his orthodontist practice or in the community, Kevin Lawyer's goal was to help people smile.

His day job was to straighten teeth, fitting children and adults for braces and retainers. But outside of work, the 39-year-old father of six showed local students how math concepts applied to his job - making it fun by letting them handle false teeth - and dressed up as a wacky character for church skits, teaching the word of God.

"He touched so many people's lives, through his practice and the church," said longtime friend Jim Rodgriguez, 39. "I saw Kevin develop as an individual, and as someone who more and more professed his faith and lived it out in front of people."

Dr. Lawyer died Thursday when his GMC Yukon collided with a delivery truck on Route 91 in Carroll County. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Seven people - his six children and the truck driver - were also injured in the crash. The injuries to Dr. Lawyer's children were relatively minor, while the truck driver has been upgraded to serious condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Dr. Lawyer was born in Westminster and graduated from Westminster High School in 1986. He went on to earn degrees from Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland Dental School, where he completed an orthodontic residency.

He returned to his hometown, becoming a partner in the orthodontic practice now known as Scott, Lawyer, Lu and Sorkin. Dr. Lawyer had visited the practice first as a patient, then worked there as a dental student and later a junior partner.

For his patients, Dr. Lawyer's easygoing nature was a calming presence, said Dr. Robert T. Scott, who brought him on as a partner.

"He's that rare combination of professional confidence and humility that sort of gave him a relaxing relationship with people," said Dr. Scott, 64, who returned from a dental mission in Ecuador upon hearing of Dr. Lawyer's death. "It's really been my pleasure to have him as part of my life, and the community has suffered a great loss."

Through the practice, Dr. Lawyer gave back to the community, closing the office to bring in local elementary school students to show children how lessons in math, science, health and chemistry can go beyond the classroom.

Students would read metric measurement tools to see how geometric angles between anatomic features are used to align teeth. As a souvenir, the pupils were able to make molds of their teeth.

At LifePoint Church in Reisterstown, Dr. Lawyer enjoyed acting in skits during church services and the children's ministry. Popular among children was his Professor Wonder character, an absent-minded professor with glasses and a lab coat, which he used to convey church teachings.

His family always came first, said his wife of 15 years, Suzie, whom he dated through college and dental school. He cherished his time at home, coaching youth sports and teaching Sunday school, and often worked to make sure his job schedule coincided with his children's school breaks.

"Kevin was a man who, No. 1, put God first, his family second and everything else below that," she said. "He wouldn't want to work when the kids were home. He wanted to spend as much time as he could."

She said his favorite moments were reading to the children at night and praying with them before they went to sleep.

In his spare time, he was a sports enthusiast, an avid golfer and devoted Virginia Tech Hokies fan.

His professional affiliations included the Carroll County Dental Association, where he was a trustee; the Maryland State Dental Association, of which he had served as president; and the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontics.

A celebration of his life will be held at LifePoint Church, 1701 Emory Road in Reisterstown, at 4 p.m. tomorrow.

In addition to his wife, survivors include three sons, Joshua, 11, Mayson, 10, and Max, 8; three daughters, Katie, 8, Chloe, 5 and Isabella, 5; his parents, Philip and Jean Lawyer of Westminster; and a sister, Michele Gribben of Manchester.

justin.fenton@baltsun.com