James (Jim) Henry Morrissey passed away peacefully in his home on November 5, 2023, with his loving and devoted wife Margaret Ellen Morrissey by his side. Born in 1930 in New Rochelle, New York to Elizabeth Ann Coventry and Thomas Phillip Morrissey, Jim grew up in a closely knit Irish-Catholic family, with his three brothers, Thomas, Edward and Ray and his sister Betty. The “boys” enjoyed regaling others with stories of their childhood, from bringing home a pet alligator to making solo trips, under the age of three, to the local fire station where their father worked as a firefighter. Whoever saw the toddler first would yell, “Mo! Here comes a little Mo!” Their mother was a saint for all of them surviving into adulthood. …

After retirement, Jim ran for political office after his wife chided him for complaining but not acting. Jim ran as a Republican in a primarily Democratic district for State Assembly. Jim proudly walked to every house and knocked on every door in the district. Jim won the seat in 1994 and was reelected in 1996. Jim left office in 1998. Among his many accomplishments was funding for the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. Jim was a lifelong lover of science and a staunch supporter of STEM and the underdog. The building of the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana allowing STEM access to disadvantaged communities was one of his proudest moments.

[My Uncle Jim was a very good man, as well as a very funny and gentlemanly figure. My cousins wrote this obituary, and it has some really funny stories in it. Be sure to read it all. They left out quite a few too, and I know why, but we will be celebrating his life this week and will certainly be telling and retelling those stories. I will be out the rest of the week to take part in that and to send my uncle off in as grand a fashion as we can muster and he deserves.

My aunt and uncle used to read my work here and at CapQ with a lot of joy and told me as often as they could how proud they were of it. Uncle Jim was certainly a part of it, and will continue to be as long as I write. May flights of angels sing you to your rest, Uncle Jim. — Ed]