Jeffrey Fletcher Moley, MD
64, passed away suddenly at his home on October 15.
He was world-renowned for his scientific research and expertise in the endocrine surgical field. He was Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Section of Endocrine and Oncology Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He was also an Associate Director of the Siteman Cancer Center, and the Chief of Surgical Services at the VA Hospital. He was well-known in the St. Louis Medical community and was a highly respected teacher and role model to his medical trainees.
Dr. Moley was born in New York City on September 13, 1953, to Dr. Malcolm Moley and Mrs. Janis Walton Moley. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Kelle H. Moley, and sons Patrick Malcom, Charles Raymond and John Roger. Other survivors include his mother, his brother Roger Walton Moley and sister Janis McCarthy. Dr. Moley was the grandson of Raymond Moley, a Columbia University professor and member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Brain Trust”.
He was widely respected for his participation and/or leadership of clinical research projects in surgical management of recurrent disease, preventative thyroidectomy in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 2 gene carriers, as well as the identification of novel molecular targets in thyroid cancer.
He was an accomplished musician, who led the local bands Seldom Home and The Fletcher Moley Group. He has a wonderful sense of humor and was extremely knowledgeable in a wide variety of areas such as sports, politics and history. He loved his family dearly and was beloved in return. He will be greatly missed.
Services: Funeral will be held at Grace Episcopal Church at 514 East Aragon Avenue in Kirkwood at 3:00pm Thursday, October 19th.
I am one of many Nurse Anesthetists who have been privileged to share space with Dr. Jeff Moley over the years, 15 for me. We have had weekly conversations over the years about life ,family, music, love, humour and most of all medicine! These I will miss dearly. We have spent a lot of time together and I will think of him when ever there is a situation where advancing knowledge is involved.
After 24 hrs of call on Monday and trying to work through the news of his passing, and trying to compassionately take care of my patients, I made it home to cook my breakfast. I could not help feeling Jeff was there encouraging me to make my fried potatoes in a cast iron pan with olive oil and brown butter with onions, peppers from the garden, crushed garlic and maybe some siracha to spice it up. The analogy is ; he was full of flavor and texture and complexity, he wasn’t plain.
I couldn’t help feeling that we have been such good comrades in the operating room over the years because we both appreciated diversity which is the spice of life, in a life of repetition there was always something new to talk about, or argue about!
He was a special human being and I only hope I can aspire to follow some of his footsteps .
My sincerest condolences to the entire Moley family.
He saved my life with a 7 hour lymph node neck dissection in August 2006. I’m in shock. I found out he died today ????. RIP Doctor Moley
September 13, 1995 on his own 42nd birthday, Dr Moley saved my life. He removed my 7.5# spleen, one of the largest he hade ever seen. I remember him telling me the good news was the scar I have from the surgery was the best he ever made. Making me laugh at that time, and a story I won’t ever forget of a memorable part of my life.
He was an amazing physician and I am thankful the one I was referred to.
Finding out he passed away, though it’s been 7 years ago, I offer my sincerest condolences to his family.