Obituary of Jimmie Jubal Morgan, Jr.

On July 23, 1924, Dr. C. C. Richards made his way to a farm house on a hill overlooking Beaver Dam Creek in Bedford County. Jube and Maude Morgan became parents of a new baby boy that day, their first and only son. Though they named him Jimmie Jubal Morgan, Jr, he would henceforth and forever be known as J. J., or simply “J.” After a long and eventful life, J.J. has now gone to join his wife, Mary Elizabeth Huddleston Morgan, his son Jimmie Joel Morgan, his sister Louise Morgan Martin and her husband John Dick Martin, and his sister Margaret Morgan Johnson and her husband William T. Johnson,in heavenly afterlife. J.J.is survived by sister Betty Lou Morgan Matthews and husband Wade Bynum Matthews of Sarasota, Florida; son John P. Morgan and spouse Roxanne L. Gile of Walton, Virginia; daughter Jane Foster Morgan of Bedford, Virginia; grandson Morgan Holland Overstreet of Bedford, Virginia; nephew Danny Wayne Morgan of Bedford, Virginia; niece Deborah Preston Matthews of Miami, Florida; niece Pamela Morgan Matthews Klinger and husband David Matthew Klinger of San Antonio, Texas; nephew Wade Bynum Matthews, Jr. of Austin, Texas; and many grand- and great-grand-nieces and nephews. J. J. grew up working the grain mill on Morgan’s Mill Road in Bedford County. He graduated from Stewartsville High School in 1942, where he was one of five players on the undefeated 1941-1942 championship basketball team. From 1942-1946 he built oil storage tanks in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma for Chicago Iron and Steel, after which he began to build houses in Vinton and Roanoke. J.J. served in the U. S. Army Transportation Corp. during the Korean War, then returned to home building.He married Mary Elizabeth Huddleston on December 31, 1952, and the couple, with two children in tow and a third to arrive soon, moved to the town of Bedford in 1958. There they started Morgan Development Corporation, through which J. J. developed seven subdivisions for homes in the Bedford area in addition to numerous commercial buildings. J. J. served on the boards of the First National Exchange Bank, Dominion Bank, First Union Bank, and Wachovia Bank, and the Bedford Hospital. He served on the National Association of Home Builders director’s board in Washington, DC for ten years, and was named director for life. He was also named to the board of Shenandoah University. J. J. was a member and tireless supporter of Main Street United Methodist Church since 1958. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the Main Street UMC Building Fund, 212 East Main Street, Bedford, VA 24523 or the Bedford Lifesaving Crew, P. O. Box 161, Bedford, VA 24523. Funeral services will be conducted on Sunday, September 14, 2014 at 2 PM at Main Street United Methodist Church with Rev. Richard Ecklund and Rev. Wayne Murphy officiating. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall. Interment will be held on Monday, September 15, 2014 at 11 AM at Mountain View Cemetery, Vinton. The family will receive friends Saturday, September 13 from 3 until 6 PM at Updike Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Bedford.