Dr. John George Moore Jr., 86, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, died on Oct. 30 at his Malibu home.
Moore was born in Berkeley on Sept. 17, 1917. His mother, Mercedes Sullivan Moore, died when he was two, so his father raised him with the help of friends and family members. Moore finished high school two years early. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1939 and a medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco in 1942.
During World War II, Moore served as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. One of his duties was to enter the concentration camps, liberate and tend to the survivors. For his service, he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Upon returning from his tour of duty in 1946, Moore married Mary Louise Laffer, settling in San Francisco. Their marriage would last for 57 years. Moore worked at UCSF, completing his residency in obstetrics and gynecology. In 1950 he was appointed assistant professor at the University of Iowa in obstetrics and gynecology, beginning his climbing of the academic ladder that would take him to many universities and cities.
Upon retiring from academic life in 1988, Moore went back to work serving patients at Olive View County Hospital in the San Fernando Valley. Throughout his long career, he contributed many articles to professional medical journals.
Moore is survived by his wife and their three children, Barbara, Terry and Bruce. He is also survived by his grandchildren Rory, Megan and Maryanne, sister-in-law Martha Ziegler, niece Nancy Ziegler, nephews Robert Ziegler Jr., David Ziegler, and Daniel Ziegler and his cousins Peter and Kurt Kennedy.
Two memorial services are taking place. One is on Friday at the Auditorium of Jules Stein Institute, UCLA Medical Center at 2 p.m. The other is on Saturday at 31804 Seafield Drive in Malibu at 2 p.m.