Dr. J. Raymond Moore Jr., a dentist who practiced for nearly 40 years at his University Parkway office, died of liver cancer April 29 at his Woodbrook home. He was 91.
Born in Baltimore, he was the son of J. Raymond Moore Sr., an optometrist, and Anne Kohler, his wife. Family members said he was a descendant of William Thompson, an English colonist who settled in St. Mary's County in the 1630s.
Dr. Moore was a 1941 graduate of Gilman School. He enrolled at Harvard College and later entered the Navy during World War II. He participated in its V-12 military education program and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Dental School. He became a Navy dentist and had assignments in Parris Island, N.C., and in Bainbridge in Cecil County.
Family members said that Dr. Moore was a sports car and motorcycle enthusiast. He began driving before he was 16, getting behind the wheel of his father's auto near the family home on Montrose Avenue in the Murray Hill section of Baltimore County.
"He had a right-hand Jaguar XK 120 when he was at Bainbridge," said his son, J. Raymond Moore III of Cambridge, Mass. "He thought he could outrun a state trooper. He wound up losing his license for 30 days."
His son said that Dr. Moore treated thousands of patients during his long career. He also said his father had a sense of humor. He rigged up a mouth sprayer for patients he knew well. The sprayer was attached to a container of bourbon.
"My father was an upbeat person. He enjoyed life. That's why he was a popular dentist," his son said.
He returned to Baltimore and opened an office at 2 W. University Parkway, where he practiced until his retirement in 1987.
"Ray was relentlessly kind and a good man," said Dr. Gordon B. Shelton, a fellow dentist. "He did what he felt was right for the patient. Ray treated people the way he wanted to be treated himself."
Dr. Shelton, who took over Dr. Moore's practice, said that he was an accomplished dental mechanic.
"If there was any way to fix something for the benefit of the patient, he did it," said Dr. Shelton.
Dr. Moore and Dr. Shelton treated each other's teeth. Dr. Shelton once examined Dr. Moore for a damaged tooth.
"I said to him, 'You fixed that tooth in your garage, didn't you?' " Dr. Shelton said.
His son said his father's profession required meticulous work.
"In his free time, he liked to work with a chain saw and he once built a log cabin in Vermont," his son said. "He enjoyed being outdoors."
In 1944 he married Alleyn Hays Wagandt, an accomplished gardener and great-granddaughter of William James Dickey, the 19th century textile mill owner. He met his future wife when he was out with friends on Charles Street near the entrance of the Johns Hopkins University.
The couple enjoyed skiing, tennis and sailing. They cruised their sailboats from Norfolk, Va., to Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Dr. Moore was a past member of the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake, the Annapolis Yacht Club, the Gibson Island Yacht Squadron and the L'Hirondelle Club.
He owned an MG-TC, the English sports car, in the late 1940s. He later had Porsches. He and his wife attended classic auto races at Watkins Glen, N.Y., and at Bridgehampton on Long Island.
Dr. Moore also owned and rode motorcycles. He rode throughout North Baltimore and Baltimore County. He preferred country roads. When he was in his mid-80s, he traded in his two-wheel model, a BMW, and bought a Can-Am Spyder ,a three-wheeler. He rode until shortly before his death.
"He didn't go for long rides, but he said it was good for his upper body strength," his son said.
Services are private.
In addition to his son, survivors include two other sons, George T. Moore of Seattle, Wash., and Allen D. Moore of Cedarcroft; a daughter, Joan D. Moore of Towson; and six grandchildren. His wife of 68 years died in 2012.