James P. Storey, produce market owner

James P. Storey owned several large boats, one after the other, on which he would go deep-sea fishing off the Jersey Shore for big catches such as tuna and marlin.

Each boat, in succession, was named the Fish Storey.

"But the last one was named the Final Storey," said his fishing buddy John Raimondo.

"He loved fishing," Raimondo said, but Raimondo was not so sure about Mr. Storey's tastes at the dinner table, since he often gave his tuna catches to his neighbors.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, Mr. Storey, 70, of Philadelphia and Cape May, owner of Quaker City Produce Co., died of congestive heart failure at his Philadelphia home.

Mr. Storey was president for 25 years of the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market near the sports stadiums, before it was replaced in 2011 by the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, said Dan Kane.

Kane, general manager of the Wholesale Produce Market at 6700 Essington Ave., said Mr. Storey "was a tireless worker. He had one of the biggest hearts I've come across, professionally or personally."

Raimondo, the retired owner of a Newtown Square insurance agency, said he met Mr. Storey when both were in their early 20s and lived on the same Philadelphia block, 6500 Kingsessing Avenue.

"We became best friends," he said, and though city guys, "we both had a passion for fishing."

Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Storey graduated from the former Msgr. Bonner High School in Drexel Hill in 1962 and served as an Army military policeman at stateside posts, his wife, Meg, said.

The office manager at Quaker City Produce since 1984, his wife said, "we worked side-by-side for a long time. He is the most caring guy that I know."

In an October 2011 story about the March 25 opening of the Wholesale Produce Market, the www.thepacker.com reported that Mr. Storey "began working at Quaker City Produce, his father's and uncle's business, by unloading trucks when he was 16."

"Storey returned to the business after military service in 1965 and by the early 1970s moved into sales.

"In 1993, Storey purchased the company from his cousins, Dan Storey Jr. and Maurice Storey."

The article reported that, during the ribbon-cutting event, "speakers such as Jamie McDermott, director of the Philadelphia Regional Ports Authority, the market's landlord, commended Storey's dedication to seeing the market come to fruition."

" 'God bless you, Jimmy Storey,' McDermott said. 'Without him, we wouldn't be here today.' "

Though the ribbon-cutting took place in March 2011, the market did not open until June 5, 2011.

Mr. Storey was hospitalized from December 2010 to June 2011. His wife said that "he had to have an aortic valve replaced in December 2010 and then had complications. He was on a ventilator for three months."

The website www.producenews.com reported that Mr. Storey said in an interview that, for the 2011 opening, "it was a goal to be able to walk into this building the day it opened, and I did it."

The website reported that Quaker City Produce, which operates out of the Produce Market, "is a full-service fresh fruit and produce wholesaler, specializing in a variety of fresh berries and other fruits as well as vegetables."

Besides his wife, Mr. Storey is survived by son Peter, daughters Christine McClintock and Paula Hopkins, a sister, eight grandchildren, and his former wife, Kathy.

Viewings are set from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Rachubinski Funeral Homes, 781 S. Front St., Philadelphia, and from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, 525 Washington St., Cape May, before a 1:30 p.m. Funeral Mass there, with entombment in St. Mary's Cemetery Mausoleum, Cape May.

Donations may be sent to the American Heart Association, Suite 700, 1617 JFK Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103.

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.spilkerfuneralhome.com.

wnaedele@phillynews.com

610-313-8134@WNaedele