Dennis Lee Moore

He graduated in 1983 from Shenandoah High School, where he was a passionate participant in band, choir, drama club, and National Honor Society. He was an audience favorite as Max in his senior year production of The Sound of Music, and he officially caught the "music performance bug" that would fuel his career and make a positive impact in students' lives for the rest of his life.

Dennis attended Mount Union College in 1983, then transferred to Otterbein College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education in 1988. There, he was part of the Marching Band, Concert Band, Concert Choir, and a variety of other choral and instrumental ensembles. He lit up the stage in many musical theater productions, beginning with his freshman year role as Baby John in West Side Story.

After graduation, Dennis began his career as Head Band and Choir Director at Amanda Clearcreek Local Schools in Amanda, Ohio, where he taught students in elementary through high school. He then moved on to Tri-Valley Local Schools in Dresden, Ohio, where he was Assistant Director of Choir and Bands for grades 5 through 12.

Soon after the births of his twin sons, Alex and Dylan, Dennis's "gift of gab" took him into a new career in new home sales and real estate, where he was a favorite of home buyers and co-workers alike. He never lost his heart for teaching and love of students, though, so he was thrilled to return to his teaching career as Director of Music and Theater at Newark Catholic High School in 2006. Dennis also thrived in his role as Assistant Marching Band Director at Johnstown-Monroe High School, where he had the distinct pleasure of teaching his sons Alex and Dylan until their graduation in 2012. Another great joy of his life was teaching and directing his daughter, Lizzie, in several musical theater productions at Newark Catholic, where he remained until health issues brought an early retirement in 2021.

Dennis was preceded in death by his dear parents, John and Julia Ann Moore; his loving sister Carol Ann Wynn and brother James "Jimmy" Moore; two nephews, Brandon Moore and Glen Moore, Jr., and great-niece Makayla Stottsberry. He is survived by his sister Linda (Jim) Fair, with whom he spoke nearly every evening; and brothers Glen (Betty) Moore, John (Doris) Moore, and Gary (Rhonda) Moore; his children Dylan (Siera) Moore, Alex (Sierra) Moore and Elizabeth Moore; and grandchildren Grayson, Ella Sue, Wesley, Bodhi, Ivy and Oakley Moore.

There will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 2 p.m. at the Newark Catholic High School Auditorium, 1 Green Wave Drive, Newark, Ohio. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Newark Catholic Theater Department.