JOHN A. MORAN Jr.

MORAN, JOHN A. JR. - better known as Jack by his friends and associates, passed away on July 24, 2013 surrounded by his family. He was currently a resident of Margate City, N.J. The son of John & Gladys Moran was born, in 1925, raised and worked in the Riverdale community of the Bronx in N.Y.C. He was a graduate of Columbia University, class of 1948, he also attended Manhattan College Preparatory School and St. Margaret's Catholic School in North Riverdale. One of the founding families of St. Gabriel's Church where he was a devout parishioner and supporter until his semi-retirement and move to Southern New Jersey in 2003. He was self employ-ed as a real estate broker working with his father in the firm of John A. Moran and Son primarily in the Riverdale/Kingsbridge communities from 1953 till the time of his passing. He was a devoted Riverdalian with a great love of the neighborhood where he grew up and raised his family. He was very active in support of the growth of Riverdale in many ways both professionally and personally. John and his father sold a large percentage of the land in Riverdale for apartment house sites. He brokered the sale of the Riverdale property to the Russian Mission in 1972. He had a tremendous love of sports which was not only evident in conversation with him but in his actions also. He was with the North Riverdale Baseball League for over 25 years both on the Executive Board and as a team manager shaping the lives of many of Riverdale's youth for the future. Even though he contracted Polio as a young child and developed Post Polio Syndrome at a later age he never let it deter him from participating in anything he wanted to do. He dedicated his efforts in Riverdale to assure that families could raise their children in a community that was safe with manageable growth and he served with many organizations to accomplish this. He was a member of the Community Planning board for 12 years and served on the Land Use Committee. He was on the Board of Directors and Past President of the Riverdale Neighborhood House, Francis Schervier Home & Hospital, Schervier Nursing Care Center Housing Board. He was also a board member of the Riverdale Community Council, the 50th Precinct Community Council and the Kingsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps. In 1972 he was awarded Riverdale Community Council "Man of the Year" and the Francis Schervier Award in 2002. He was a very personable man and loved to talk with people and could talk about any topic with ease for hours, especially about sports. He is survived by his wife of 57 years Mary (Betsy), his daughter Shelley, his sons and their wives John & Karen, Richard & Elizabeth, Christopher & Amy, 7 grand children and his sister Mary Patricia Baxter. There will be a private funeral service in New York. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in his memory to the Autism Speaks Foundation, 1 E. 33rd St., New York, NY 10016, in honor of his grandson, Tommy who was diagnosed in 2004. (George H. Wimberg Funeral Home)