Dr. Philip C. Deardorff, a retired Towson oral and maxillofacial surgeon, died of lung cancer Aug. 1 at his home in La Jolla, Calif. He was 84.
Dr. Deardorff was born and raised in York, Pa., and graduated from York High School in 1942.
During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 8th Air Force in England, where he flew P-51 Mustang fighter planes.
After the war, he earned a bachelor's degree from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa., and a dental degree from the Maurice H. Kronberg School of Dentistry at Temple University in Philadelphia in the 1950s.
Dr. Deardorff began his career at Harrisburg Hospital in Harrisburg, Pa., before moving to Baltimore, where he established his oral surgery practice in 1955.
"He had no contacts in the area and developed a practice by literally knocking on the doors of practicing dentists in the community and offering them a more convenient option for their patients," said his wife of 45 years, the former Virginia Reisinger, a Goucher College graduate and retired lawyer.
At a time when most dental specialists were located downtown in the old Medical Arts Building at Read and Cathedral streets, Dr. Deardorff looked elsewhere.
He purchased a house at Chumleigh and York roads in Rodgers Forge, which he used as his residence and dental office.
"To my knowledge, he was the first oral surgeon to move and establish a practice in Baltimore County," said Dr. David A. Denisch, a longtime Towson dentist and friend of more than 50 years. "He was a most professional and competent practitioner who was always available to relieve a patient's discomfort or pain, even if it meant missing lunch or working after hours.
"If I had a patient who needed treatment, he'd say, 'Dave, send them right over.' " Dr. Denisch said. "He was held in high regard by both his colleagues and his patients. He really was."
Dr. William R. Grill, a retired Parkville dentist and Kingsville resident, was also a longtime friend and hunting buddy.
"He was a very kind man who was blessed with a congenial personality. He got along with everybody," Dr. Grill said.
In 1970, Dr. Deardorff moved from Rodgers Forge to the 1200 block of York Road in Lutherville, where he practiced until retiring in the 1990s.
His partner of 20 years, Dr. John Paul Burton, who retired in 1993, died in June.
