\t\t\tJohn & Betty Moran \t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tOBITUARY\t\t<\/p>\n
BETHLEHEM \u2014 John Patrick Moran, 89, and his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth Jane \u201cBetty\u201d Prendergast Moran, 88, both of Bethlehem, passed within three weeks of each other \u2014 Betty on April 5 and John on March 23, 2026. They were inseparable in life and devoted partners in every place they called home.<\/p>\n
JOHN PATRICK MORAN<\/p>\n
\nBorn January 31, 1937, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Edward Joseph \u201cEd\u201d Moran Sr. and Catherine Agnes \u201cCatsy\u201d Murphy Moran, John attended Brooklyn Technical High School and earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Villanova University in 1960. He was commissioned as a Line Ensign in the U.S. Navy that same year, serving through 1964 and achieving the rank of Captain with the Navy\u2019s Facilities Engineering Command. He later earned an M.B.A. from the City University of New York and was a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers.<\/p>\n
\nAfter consulting with Tippets-Abbott-McCarthy and Stratton (TAMS), he joined Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. in 1972, rising to Director of Facilities and Production Engineering. He went on to serve as Managing Director and then Vice President at American Can Co. in Fair Lawn, N.J., and as Senior Vice President of Harnischfeger Corp. in Brookfield, Wis. He concluded his career as CEO of Structures Unlimited in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
\nHe was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Edward Joseph \u201cEddie\u201d Moran Jr., Robert Francis Moran, Paul Thomas \u201cPaolo\u201d Moran, and Richard James Moran.<\/p>\n
ELIZABETH \u201cBETTY\u201d JANE PRENDERGAST MORAN<\/p>\n
\nBorn April 1, 1938, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Betty was the eldest daughter of Thomas and Edna Prendergast. She grew up in Flatbush, attended Fontbonne Hall Academy in Bay Ridge, and earned her undergraduate degree from Notre Dame College of Staten Island. She began her career teaching in New York City public schools.<\/p>\n
\nOn June 11, 1960, Betty married John at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Officer\u2019s Club. When the family was settled in the Williamsburg, VA area in the early 1970s, she returned to school and completed a graduate program in learning diagnostics at the College of William and Mary. As a learning diagnostician she served public school systems in Ridgewood, N.J. (where she rose to the rank of Coordinator of Special Programs for this large school system), Milwaukee, Wis., and White Township, N.J., helping students with learning differences find their footing.<\/p>\n
\nArt and art museums were among Betty\u2019s deepest passions. In Milwaukee she volunteered at the Milwaukee Art Museum. After retiring, she joined the Society of the Arts, supporting the Allentown Art Museum through fundraising and education \u2014 a commitment she kept for many years.<\/p>\n
\nShe was preceded in death by her parents; her sister Anne Prendergast; and her husband, John.<\/p>\n
TOGETHER<\/p>\n
\nOver six decades of marriage, John and Betty moved wherever his career led \u2014 California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Connecticut, Virginia, New Jersey (again), Wisconsin, and finally the Lehigh Valley \u2014 embracing each community with energy and generosity. They were devoted parents, enthusiastic tennis players and golfers, and eager travelers. Over the years since 1978, they also made their home at Lake Beebee in Hubbardton, VT.<\/p>\n
SURVIVORS<\/p>\n
\nSurviving are their daughter, Deidre Joan Moran; their son, Andrew Edward Moran; and Betty\u2019s sister, Joan Burns (n\u00e9e Prendergast).<\/p>\n
A memorial service will be held on 28 June, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. at Connell Falk Funeral Home, 1418 Main Street, Hellertown, PA. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Betty\u2019s memory may be made to the Allentown Art Museum, Society of the Arts, 31 N. Fifth St., Allentown, PA 18101.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"John & Betty Moran OBITUARY BETHLEHEM \u2014 John Patrick Moran, 89, and his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":193077,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":["post-193076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}