Thomas Moore, Jr

On December 6, 2021, Thomas W. Moore, Jr. of Columbia, TN lost his brief battle with cancer.

He is survived by his sister: Sally; niece: Kelsey (William); and nephew: Jon (Gina); stepsons: Craig (Heather Marie), Eric (Heather Lynne), Paul (Rachel), Scott (Kim), and son: T. Wes (Lauren); grandchildren: Adrian (Tamiyah), Ian, Colby, Jaxon, Skyler, Blaze, Connor, Abbie, Macy Kate, Alex, Lucas, Lexi, Hailey and Jaden; and great grandchildren; Mila and Logan.

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Falls Church, VA, Tom had a wide variety of interests from baseball to a love of Dixieland jazz.  A highlight he referred to often was the opportunity to hear the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

He graduated from J.E.B. Stuart High School (now Justice High School) in 1973, then studied Music Education at Old Dominion University, graduating in 1977.  He studied Bassoon Performance at the University of Denver, graduating in 1979.

He began his teaching career in Shreveport, LA, where he met Lanena and her 4 sons. They married in 1985 and added a fifth boy to their rambunctious family. While teaching in NW Louisiana, he also played in the Shreveport Symphony, and the Longview Symphony in Texas.

After teaching school for 11 years, Tom liked to say that he had a mid-life crisis, but went to dental school instead of buying a sports car! The family moved to West Tennessee where he attended the University of Tennessee, Memphis.  Following graduation in 1995, he and Lanena bought a dental practice in Columbia, TN, and set up shop. Tom’s concern was always to make sure his patients were not in pain, and were able to eat comfortably. He enjoyed caring for nursing home patients, and served the inmates of the Maury County Jail for over 20 years.

He loved  to say that he did “enough dentistry to support his music habit!”  He never abandoned his love of music, and was always seeking places to play, and orchestras or bands. He played with both the Nashville Philharmonic, and the Nashville Praise Symphony almost from their beginnings.

His beloved Lanena passed away in 2008. Tom reconnected with his high school accompanist, and he and Deanie married in 2010.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nashville Rescue Mission, an organization that Tom supported for many years.  Or, you may donate Bibles through your church, or the Gideon Society. Tom was a firm believer in the memorization of scripture.

The family will receive friends on Friday, December 10 from 4:00 until 7:00 PM at the Spring Hill First Baptist Church, and again on Saturday from noon until the service at 1:00 PM. Burial will follow in Spring Hill Memorial Park. It is requested that masks be worn during your visiting. They will be made available as well.