James D. Morrissey Jr. of Lafayette Hill and Philadelphia, president of James D. Morrissey Inc., Eureka Stone Quarry Inc. and JDM Materials Co. Inc., passed away peacefully at the age of 85 on Oct. 15, 2025.
Mr. Morrissey Jr. was a proud graduate of La Salle College High School in 1957 and Villanova University in 1961, graduating with a degree in civil engineering.
After graduating from Villanova, Mr. Morrissey Jr. joined his father and mother in the business founded by his dad, James D. Morrissey Inc., and began a career that would span more than seven decades. His concrete plants, stone quarries and asphalt plants, spanning multiple locations in the Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Lehigh, Monroe and Pike counties of Pennsylvania, have supplied material to nearly every major highway construction project for the past 70 years including the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-95, Route 1 and the Blue Route, on which trucks bearing his and his late father's name can be seen.
"He took over the family business in 1982, after the passing of his own father," said Jim Morrissey III, who oversees the company's materials division. "Together, my grandfather and grandmother had built the foundation of what you see today. Not just the roads, malls or terminals, but a reputation, a standard of work, and most importantly a way of life. And when it became his turn, he never looked back. From January of 1982 until just days before he passed, he was out there, stopping by the jobsites and paving projects."
The Friday before he passed away, he was still on a job site, Morrissey III added.
"My brother Joe, who runs our construction side of the business, had him out that afternoon. It meant a lot to our dad. Being out on a site was not work — it was where he came alive. He did not just love work — he knew it was what he was put here to do. It was not about legacy. It was about doing what was right, every day. He knew exactly who he was. He never lost sight of it."
Work and family were always in the same breath for Mr. Morrissey Jr.
"We lost my mom in 2003," said Morrissey III. "She was an incredible woman and an amazing mom to me and my siblings. After my mom passed away, my father and LA Glasgow began dating and in 2010, they got married. LA, who also grew up in a very well-known construction family, was amazing to our dad. LA shared his love of the business. She would ride to job sites with him on weekends. I would call him on Sunday, and he would say, ‘Oh, LA and I are heading out to check on a few job sites.' That was him. Until the very end."
Mr. Morrissey Jr. was not a man of many words. He did not hand out nuggets of wisdom or long-winded advice, but you always knew where you stood with him, Morrissey III added.
"He lived by his principles, and he never wavered. Never got sidetracked. He was presented with a tremendous opportunity from his parents, and he honored that gift every single day."
There were big jobs, of course. In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, he landed two sections of the Blue Route — Route 476 — a massive project. Other major jobs included building the UPS terminal at the Philadelphia International Airport, Franklin Mills Mall, Willow Grove Mall and excavation work along I-78 in eastern Pa. Those jobs solidified his place in the industry. They were not just jobs — they were statements. Proof of what hard work and determination could achieve. More recently, his jobs included the rebuilding of sections of Route 309, the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the new Bellwether District site in South Philadelphia as well as the construction of the Keystone Trade Center, on the grounds of the former U.S. Steel Plant in Fairless Hills, Pa
"He was still president of the company when he passed," Morrissey III said. "My brother, Joe, and I have been managing day-to-day operations for the past few years — Joe in construction, me in materials. But my father was always there. He was our mentor. Even on the days when he could not make it out to see the jobs, in recent months, he was calling the guys on a Saturday morning, checking in on work."
Mr. Morrissey Jr. was the devoted husband to LA Glasgow. He was predeceased by his first wife, Mary Alice (Fasy) with whom he shared seven children: Mary Beth Stefanowicz and her husband, Brian; Alice Meehan and her husband, Mike; Louise "Weez" Boyd and her husband, Patrick; Jim Morrissey III and his wife, Siobhan: Carsy Missett; Joe Morrissey and his wife, Dana; Paul G Morrissey and Paul DiIorio. He also was the proud "Pop Pop" to 27 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Mr. Morrissey Jr. made it a point to attend as many of his children and grandchildren's sporting events, graduations and birthday parties as he was able. He was a member of several golf clubs and made a vast number of lifelong friends, especially at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale, Sunnybrook Golf Club and Saucon Valley Country Club. In the winter months, he spent time at his home in the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla.
"My father's story isn't flashy," concluded Morrissey III. "It is not full of speeches or grand declarations. It is about showing up. Knowing who you are. Staying true to what matters and never wasting the gifts and opportunities with which you were presented. He was put on this earth to work. And he did."
Services for Mr. Morrissey Jr. were recently held at St. Katherine of Sienna Church in Philadelphia.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Penn Cardiovascular Fund, 3535 Market Street, Suite 750, Philadelphia, PA 19104, or a charity of the donor's choice. CEG
(All photos courtesy of Jim Morrissey III.)
