John W. Mooney

John William Mooney

John William Mooney, known to all as "Jack", passed away peacefully on New Year's Day, 2026 at the age of 84 in Philadelphia, PA. A preeminent oral and maxillofacial surgeon, educator, and naval officer, Jack's life was one of service, teaching and family.

Jack was born on December 5, 1941, in the Bronx, New York to Charles Patrick Mooney and Anne Beamish. Jack attended All Hallows High School in the Bronx and graduated from Iona College (New Rochelle) in 1963 where he received a bachelor's degree in science. Jack earned his D.D.S from the College of Dentistry of New York University in 1967 and completed his Oral and Maxillofacial residency in 1972 at Lincoln Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY.

Upon graduation from NYU, Jack began his first Navy commission at the U.S. Naval Training Center at Bainbridge, MD embarking on a distinguished career with the Navy Dental Corps. Jack served on several overseas tours of duty with the aircraft carriers, U.S.S. Independence in the Mediterranean and U.S.S. Coral Sea in the Pacific. Jack also proudly served as the Chief Dental Officer for the "Seabees", the Navy's construction battalion. Jack led successive oral surgery departments and dental services throughout the U.S. Naval complex including the Navy Reserve Center in Allentown, PA, the Naval Hospital in Lemoore, CA, the Naval Regional Dental Center in Great Lakes, IL, the Naval Submarine Center in Groton, CT and at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, retiring with the rank of commander. Jack was recognized by the Secretary of Defense for his extensive service in the Navy during the period of the Cold War.

Just prior to retiring from the Navy, Jack joined the faculty of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. Jack would spend the next thirty-five years of his career teaching and nurturing generations of dentists and oral surgeons as Director of the Oral Surgery Clinic at Penn and Director of the General Practice Residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia. Jack was a dedicated and tireless teacher. Every year, the Oral Surgery Department of the University of Pennsylvania recognizes an educator demonstrating excellence in teaching with the John W. Mooney, DDS Resident Teaching Award. Jack himself received the Dr. Daniel Laskin Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in 2014.

Jack married the love of his life, Joan Patricia Gallagher, in 1970, and they had a daughter, Dr. Anne Margaret Mooney, of New York. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Jack was first and foremost a family man. He cherished his family and enjoyed spending time with his family at home, always working on various home improvement projects. Jack also enjoyed boating and fishing around the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay where he and Joan spent time at their home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Jack is survived by his wife Joan, daughter, Anne (Chris), and three grandchildren, John("Jay"), Hannah, Penelope and his brother Patrick Mooney of Mahopac, NY. Jack was predeceased by his brother Charles Mooney of East Northport, NY.

Jack was a devout man who loved his church, Our Lady of Lourdes in Glassboro, NJ, where he was a constant presence, serving often as eucharistic minister and lector. A celebration of his life and viewing will be held at the Egizi Funeral Home at 119 Ganttown Road, Turnersville, NJ on Saturday, January 10 th, 2026 at 10:30 am to 12 pm, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 1 pm at Our Lady of Lourdes, 500 Greentree Rd, Glassboro, NJ.

In honor of Jack's memory and his dedication to veterans, the family kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project. Contributions made be made online at https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/.