Donald J. Moran, 83, businessman

Donald J. Moran, 83, a businessman and former Bryn Mawr resident, died Friday, July 25, of pneumonia at a hospice near his home in Naples, Fla.

Mr. Moran was born in 1930 and grew up in Southwest Philadelphia. He graduated from West Catholic Boys High School in 1948 and enlisted in the Navy, serving on the destroyer USS Vogelgesang

After his military service, Mr. Moran attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating from the Wharton School in 1957.

He began a career in business, holding positions at General Electric and Chilton Publishing Co.

His entrepreneurial bent, however, led him to establish a series of businesses, which had varying degrees of success. At one of these - Data Tech Industries, in Valley Forge - he helped pioneer the use of optical scanning technology to tabulate corporate proxy votes. The technique is now in common use.

Mr. Moran loved living and knew how to have a good time. He communicated that to those around him.

"Life," he once said, "should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body.

"But rather, to use all the remaining energy you can possibly muster, to skid wildly across the finish line sideways, dust flying, Coors Light in one hand, body thoroughly used up, with a 'Woo hoo, what a hell of a ride!' "

His sense of humor - by turns self-deprecating and outrageous - drew belly laughs from family, friends, and those he had just met.

Toward the end, however, Mr. Moran had reason to be downcast. He spent the last 10 years battling various forms of cancer, but he dealt with it the way he had lived his life - with equal measures of hopefulness and good humor.

He chronicled his medical experiences in a journal that was closely followed by friends, family, and other patients. The entries "made people feel good and hopeful," said his sister, Carol M. O'Connell.

Besides his sister, he is survived by daughters Michelle and M. Constance; a grandson; nieces and nephews; and his longtime companion, Lois Jones.

His former wife, Marie Fox Moran, also survives.

Services are private. He donated his body to science.

Donations may be made to the Friends of Alexander Deihl Foundation, 8 Briarcrest Dr., Rose Valley, Pa. 19086. The organization helps medically fragile children.