Obituaries

John R. Clark

John Roberts Clark, 89, an attorney in corporate and business law who also devoted much of his time to community service, died of heart failure on May 7. A long-time resident of Villanova, he had been living at Beaumont at Bryn Mawr for the past two years.

Mr. Clark attended Harvard College, graduating in 1938 and received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1941. During World War II he served in the Navy for two years in the Pacific Theater of Operations. He retired in 1945 as a Lieutenant Commander and received a commendation citation from Admiral Nimitz. He returned to his legal practice at the firm now known as Dechert until his retirement from active practice in 1983. He remained “of counsel” to the firm until recently.

In his legal practice, Mr. Clark became deeply involved in the legal aspects of engineering and architecture. In 1989, he was awarded the National Association of Professional Engineering Society Award for special and outstanding contributions to the private practice of engineering.

Mr. Clark was a member of the Pennsylvania Hospital’s board of managers from 1950 until 1989 and served for a decade (1975-1985) as the chairman. He was also a member of the board and served as executive vice-president of Hall-Mercer Hospital.

He was a trustee for St. Paul’s School and also served for 40 years as a board member of White-Williams Scholars. In 1999, the John R. Clark Scholarship Fund was established by White-Williams to honor his efforts to help two generations of disadvantaged students to achieve academic excellence. He supported Harvard University as director of the Harvard Alumni Association and was president of the Harvard Club of Philadelphia.

Mr. Clark was an accomplished sailor, an avid birdwatcher and an enthusiastic horticulturist. At Harvard he rowed on a national championship crew. He also enjoyed tennis, squash, gardening and travel and fly-fishing.

He served as vestryman and churchwarden for Christ Church, Ithan. He was also a board member for the Old Philadelphia Development Corporation, Penn’s Landing Corporation, Philadelphia Historic Houses Preservation Committee and Woodlands Cemetery Company.

Mr. Clark is survived by his wife of nearly 63 years, Cecily Geyelin Clark; two daughters, Susan Clark Ogden of New York City and Camilla G. van Griethuysen-Clark of Westmaas, Netherlands; one son, Jeffrey R. Clark of Wyndmoor; and seven grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to Pennsylvania Hospital Development Office, 800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 or to White-Williams Scholars, 215 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

John D. Moran

John D. Moran, 78, a 30-year plus resident of Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill, died of cancer on May 20 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The son of William Bailey Moran and Florence Dorothy Hildebrand, Mr. Moran grew up in Woodbury, N.J. and Center City Philadelphia. He graduated from Friends Select School in 1944 and immediately enlisted in the Navy, where he was trained as a radioman and served in the Pacific Theater in the Philippines in the closing days of World War II.

After his discharge in 1946, he returned to Philadelphia and earned his B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1951 and then went on to get a master’s degree in economics from Penn. He remained a loyal Penn alumnus his entire life.

Mr. Moran began his career working for the Federal Reserve Bank, and then moved to Fidelity Bank and Industrial Valley Bank before setting up his own financial consulting and venture capital practice, J.D. Moran Associates.

Mr. Moran had a great interest in all sports; in college he was the goalie for the University of Pennsylvania men’s varsity soccer team. An avid golfer, he was also a fine bridge player: he presided over bridge at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, where he was a member, as a player and a coach. He was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and was a former member of the Philadelphia Racquet Club and The Savoy Company. He was also active in his church — St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill — and had been on the vestry of his former church, St. Mark’s on Locust Street in Center City.

Mr. Moran married Priscilla Ann Biddle (Hepburn) in 1961 and they had two sons before parting amicably in 1984. He married Barbara McNeel, pastor of St. Peter’s Tohickon UCC Church in Perkasie,  in 1990.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Moran is survived by his sons, James Biddle Moran and John Douglas Moran Jr. of Erdenheim; stepson Rick Johnson (Brightly) of Buckingham, Bucks County; stepdaughter Susan Laskos (Jonathan) and grandson Maksim Laskos of Middletown, Del.; nephew Douglas Moran of Palo Alto, Calif.; and his nephew, Bruce Moran of Brookeville, Md. His brother, William Bailey Moran Jr., predeceased him in death.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 2 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Avenue. Burial will be private. Memorial contributions may be made to one of the following: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118; The American Cancer Society, 1626 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19103; or St. Peter’s Tohickon UCC, 1050 Old Bethlehem Road, Perkasie, PA 18944.

Herbert Lorenzon

Herbert Lorenzon, 76, died on May 16 after a long battle with cancer.

Due to his specific wish that he be remembered only as everyone encountered him during joyous times in life, there will be no public services.

Memorial donations may be sent to: Trustees of University of Pennsylvania (Interventional Radiology), 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104; or Keystone Hospice, 8765 Stenton Ave., Wyndmoor, PA 19038-8317.

Benita Brooks

Benita Brooks, born March 5, 1946, in Cleveland, Ohio, died on May 18 in Las Vegas, Nev.

She is survived by her two children, Dennis L. Brooks Jr., of New York City, and her daughter, Stephanie Brooks, of Los Angeles; and a brother, Joseph Castallana, of Las Vegas. She was the daughter of the late Ben and Jean Castallana.

She was half of a partnership that previously owned The Candle Shop in Chestnut Hill about 15 years ago.

Ms. Brooks requested that no services be held; the family will hold a celebration of her life at a later date.