AJ Morelli

MORELLI, AJ, of Henrico, passed away at his residence on December 16, 2012, with his wife, Joyce Morelli at his side. He is survived by daughter, Beverly Morelli Kiernan of Portsmouth, Va., and her husband, Arthur Meginley; granddaughter, Brettinie Morelli of Richmond, Va.; stepdaughter, Paige Nelson Mathews of Greensboro, N.C., her husband, Donnie, and three grandchildren, Justin, Katie and Billy; stepson, Wink Nelson of Richmond, Va., his wife, Whitney, and their two children, Winn and Lodge. He is also survived by sister, Lucille Redmon of Urbanna, Va.; sister, Gloria Morelli of Richmond; brothers, Richard Morelli of Urbanna, Va., Tommy and Pudgy Morelli of New Jersey. AJ was a New Jersey native and after high school, went to college at Florida Southern University and then spent several years in the Army, primarily at Ft. Lee, Va., after which he became a Virginia resident. AJ was a "salesman's salesman" and he owned a temporary labor company, We Work for You, for many years before selling it several years ago. Previous to that he sold life insurance for Southland Life Insurance Company and promotional items for S&H Green Stamps. He never met a stranger and was happiest "promoting or selling" a service, a product or his point of view. In high school, college and the Army, AJ was a ball player and in later years, enjoyed playing with the Richmond Rugby Club. AJ was a member of the local VFW and frequently attended the monthly meetings for the Rugby club. AJ was active in the early organization of the Richmond Ski Club and in these last few years, during good health times, he still enjoyed attending their social functions. He enjoyed meeting new people and was the kind of person that made special connections with people in all walks of life; old friends were also very important to him as evidenced by his love of lengthy phone calls to keep connected. Although seriously ill for several years, AJ continued the "good fight" for survival until the very end. The family wishes to extend a special thanks to AJ's doctors, the staff at Henrico Doctors' Hospital, his neighbors, Louie, Anella, and Leslie, and caregivers, Marsha, Dave and John, who took care of AJ in these last few years. He could be a challenging patient but he had a big heart and appreciated all your TLC. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated 1 p.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 9505 Gayton Road, in Richmond. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, you make a contribution to the Little Sisters of the Poor or the building fund of St. Mary's Catholic Church. Online condolences to WoodyFuneralHome.com.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.