Obituary of Lester Morris

Lester T. Morris passed away on Wednesday, February 20th surrounded by his family.  He was 82 years old.  A lifelong N.J. resident, Les was born in Orange in 1936 to Catherine (Buoye) and Lester, Sr. and raised in West Orange.

Along with his sisters, Peggy and Ann, Les lived in West Orange’s Our Lady of Lourdes Parish where he attended grammar school, before transferring to Don Bosco Prep and later West Orange High School. School was important but friends and sports were a passion with cross country, track, football, varsity basketball and baseball among his favorites along with afternoons at local “hot spots” like the Colgate Playground and the “Candy Cane.”  Always ambitious, Les worked at a variety of jobs from bus boy at a car hop to Fuller Brush salesman to Pinkerton Security guard before he entered the construction industry with M. J. Sheridan Co.

In 1960 he made what he always said was his biggest score when he met “his honey” Sue Cohen.  Les and Sue married the next year and four children soon followed.  Well before it was fashionable, he made a point of balancing a busy career as a construction industry executive with time for family, fun and laughter.  A long list of favorite things includes evenings out with Sue and their large circle of friends, cheering (and sometimes jeering) at Giants games, coaching Little League, lazy weekends on LBI, golfing with the Rock Spring Club crowd and more recently ice cream outings with the Grandkids.  Even after moving his family to Basking Ridge, his home town of West Orange stayed close to his heart, drawing him back for the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade and his election to the Colgate Playground’s athletic hall of fame.  

Les will be deeply missed by his children Carolyn, Bob and Steve, their spouses Bobby and Lori and the light of his life his grandchildren Sammy and Jack. He was pre-deceased by his wife Sue and daughter Laure.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019 from 1:00pm – 4:00pm at Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home, 101 South Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ.  Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, February 25, 2019 at 11:00am at St Elizabeth’s Church, 34 Peapack Road, Far Hills, NJ. Burial will follow at Somerset Hills Memorial Park Cemetery, 95 Mount Airy Road in Basking Ridge.  In lieu of flowers a memorial donation can be made to the American Lung Association at https://www.lung.org/.  For further information, or to leave an online condolence candle please visit www.gcfuneralhome.com