John Donald Morgan Jr.

John Morgan left his temporary home on earth, his bright soul winging its flight into the glory of Heaven, on the morning of Thursday, February 8, 2024. He passed away peacefully in the home he built, surrounded by his loving family. John was born to John Donald Morgan, Sr. and Gladys Berthenia Bryan in Atlanta, GA on August 25, 1937.

He had a business mind from the beginning. At age 5, John had already established his first income by selling Coca Cola for five cents a bottle on the neighborhood corner to men walking home from work. By age 6, he had grasped the art of budgeting, which included church, recreation, etc., and savings. John had an enormous amount of energy and it served him well throughout his life. His mother would always say that Johnny would not walk but run everywhere. He practiced increasing his speed and ran at and dodged trees in nearby Perkerson Park. He was an Eagle Scout at age 14, a teacher of bird study and Indian folklore, and worked at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico in leadership roles at age 15. He excelled on both the track and football teams at Sylvan Hills High School. The track team at Sylvan Hills had their time in the spotlight. In the spring of 1955, they won the Atlanta City Championship. This qualified their team to compete in the Havatlanta Games, in Havana, Cuba in May,1955. They had time trials with competing teams in Atlanta, establishing the best teams that would travel to compete. John ran the second leg in the mile relay and their team beat out Northside High, earning them a one week trip to Havana for the Games. In addition to his athletic ability, he was voted most handsome by his senior class.

His education continued at Georgia Tech. Once again, he excelled on the track and football teams. He was a running back for the Yellow Jackets under Coach Bobby Dodd. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He “got out”, as they would say, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management in 1960. During this time, he and a friend started their own pool company, later selling it as a profitable and stable investment.

John married Laraine Neal on February 11, 1961. They started a family and had three very handsome sons together. This is when John’s career path began. He was hired by SupeRx Drugstore as a store manager. The store flourished and so did his career. He later was employed by Rich’s Department Store in management positions. During this period of his employment in Atlanta, John also enjoyed being a Scout Master with the Boy Scouts, hiking the Appalachian Trail several times with friends, participating in Civitan, and being a member of the Baptist Church as an ordained Deacon. As he continued to gain experience in the business world, job opportunities arose in the commercial real estate industry in the fields of development and redevelopment of shopping centers and office buildings for property investors nationwide. He held executive vice president positions over Operations with Lehndorff Management in Dallas, TX, Prudential Realty in Newark, NJ, and Faison in Charlotte, NC. Notable highlights in his career included opening the first Chick-Fil-A with founder Truett Cathy at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta, securing the deal while at the same time protecting and supporting Truett’s insistence that his restaurant be closed on Sundays, to keep Holy the Sabbath. While others involved in this lease transaction opposed this detail, John urged them to give it a try. They agreed and Chick-Fil-A remains very successful and closed on Sundays to this day. John also brought the first Nordstrom Department Store to the east coast. The first location to open was in Tysons Corner in McLean, VA. Terms of the deal were initiated during dinner with Jim Nordstrom and details were written on napkins. The redevelopment of Tyson Corner was a massive undertaking and a major success for John and his highly valued team, with conversions and expansion to 1.8 million square feet and three levels of shopping. The grand re-opening was in the fall of 1988. Chick-Fil-A and Nordstrom both continued their nationwide expansion to other locations, with Nordstrom opening in Short Hills Mall in Millburn, NJ, (Prudential) and at South Park Mall in Charlotte, NC, (Faison). John established lifelong friendships with his employees at each of these companies. He was a true leader, valuing each employee for their respective talents, each holding the other in highest regard with respect and admiration. He was a mentor to many and helped further the careers of some of his key employees. To him, everyone in the company was important. Even he and the janitors would greet each other daily on a first name basis.

He was a dedicated son, husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many. He loved his boys with his whole heart and was so very proud of them, and he told everyone about them and their accomplishments with every chance he had. If you knew John, you knew about his children. He took them in their younger years on frequent camping trips, trips to the Golden Isles and to California, along with his parents, as it was a favorite destination for them. John married Suzanne Floyd on September 22, 1994, in Napa, CA. They later had one daughter together, Alexandria. He took care of his parents at the end of their lives, his mom with pancreatic cancer (he took early retirement from Prudential) and his dad living with him, Suzanne, and Alexandria after his mother died. After moving in and out of retirement several times, he was able to spend quality time at home daily, the home he designed and built, on St. Simons with Suzanne and Alex, cooking on his Viking stove (which he loved to do and had a natural talent for), often making breakfast, lunches, dinners, and an expansive variety of southern cuisine dishes, ensuring traditional recipes were passed to the next generation. He loved his beautiful baby girl, the last of his four children. They had that special daddy-daughter bond that is so unique to this relationship. He afforded excellent education opportunities for each of his children, each of them very successful in their own right.

He loved his life on St. Simons. It was where he longed to spend the rest of his life. He loved to work in the yard. He helped neighbors with their needs that they were unable to carry out. He would go out of his way to serve others. He loved social gatherings with neighbors as well. He served as corresponding secretary for one year for the Sons of the American Revolution. He could command a room’s attention with a delicate balance of authenticity, sincerity, and respect. He never met a stranger and always treated others with kindness and humility. This was John Morgan, a truly great, great man. This sentiment is also shared by many who knew and worked with him.

John had a peaceful passing, acknowledging he saw angels and that he was excited to enter the Gates of Heaven. He left peacefully, being held by Suzanne and Alex, with Alex singing hymns over him. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Gladys Miriam Morgan Reynolds Shafer.

John is survived by his loving wife, Suzanne; his four celebrated children: sons, John D., III (Tripp) (Nozomi), Michael L. (Cortney), W. Neal (Allison), and daughter, Alexandria Morgan Crean (Morgan); grandchildren, Sophie, Quin, Zach, Remington, Drake, and Rosemary; nephews, Lee Reynolds and John Reynolds; niece, Amy Reynolds Broker; many great nieces and nephews; and a very dear lifelong friend, Geoffrey Michael Donoghue.

Visitation will be at Edo Miller on Friday, February 16, 2024 from 6-8 pm. The Service will be at Edo Miller on Saturday, February 17th at 10am with interment to follow at Oglethorpe Memorial Gardens on St. Simons Island.

Please consider making a donation in John’s name to jaxhopeinc.org, in order to continue funding for the exercise program for Parkinson’s patients.