Judson “Jay” H. Morris Jr., 91, of South Bristol, passed away on Jan. 18, 2025. Jay died peacefully with his loving wife, Kathy, by his side.
Jay was born Sept. 17, 1933 in Hastings, N.Y. to Judson Hall Root Morris and Mary Holderness Morris. He grew up in Irvington, N.Y. and attended Pomfret School in Pomfret, Conn. In 1956, he graduated from Yale College in New Haven, Conn., and entered the U.S. Navy, where he served as an administrative officer at the Anti-Submarine Warfare School in Norfolk, Va.
Jay began his career in advertising and marketing at Foote, Cone & Belding in New York before moving to Clairol and later Gillette and Seagrams. He retired in 2004 from M. Shanken Communications Inc., publisher of Cigar Aficionado and Wine Spectator, where he served as a senior marketing executive.
Jay loved playing any sport involving a racquet. Tennis, squash, and paddle tennis were his favorites. His other passions were the Maine coast, boats, and his father’s antique 1928 HackerCraft, which he restored in 1991.
Jay was predeceased by his brother, Ronald S. Morris.
Survivors include his wife, Kathleen O’Connor Morris; sons, John Morris, David Morris, and Jeffrey Morris; daughter, Judy Morris Maglione; daughter-in-law, Kimberley Church Morris; son-in-law, James Maglione; daughter-in-law, Eleanor Gottwald Morris; stepbrother, Henry Dunn III; and stepsister, Sherry Parker Kennedy; and nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A service to remember Jay will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at the chapel of the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, N.Y., where he will be laid to rest following the service. Donations in his memory may be made to Pomfret School, P.O. Box 128, Pomfret, CT 06258.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta, ME 04543. Condolences, and messages for his family, may be expressed by visiting stronghancock.com.
