James J. Phelan Jr., 87, attorney and civic volunteer

James J. Phelan Jr., 87, formerly of Bryn Mawr and Avalon, a lawyer and civic volunteer, died Tuesday, Jan. 10,  of heart disease at his home in Naples, Fla.

Born in Philadelphia to James and Gertrude Phelan, he graduated from Malvern Prep, where he was student council president and class valedictorian.  He went on to graduate from Temple University and Temple Law School in five years, instead of the standard seven, by taking classes year-round. Afterward, he enrolled in the Air Force and served in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps at Bossier Base, La.  He was the only officer on the base with a legal degree.

Once back in Philadelphia, Mr. Phelan became an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1961.

From 1962 to 1972, he was employed as a special assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, assigned to the Liquor Control Board.

"He enjoyed being in court," said his son, John Phelan. "He was a competitive guy like many former athletes, and it was a way to keep the competitive drive going."

He worked briefly at Dechert, Price & Rhoads before starting his own firm, Phelan, McClatchy, McMahon and Morley.  Among his clients was Charles Sims Africa, a member of the back-to-nature group MOVE. Africa was convicted of the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer James Ramp in 1978, and is serving a 36-year prison sentence.

Public service was very important to Mr. Phelan, his family said. He was a vice president of the Philadelphia Junior Chamber of Commerce and president of the Penn Valley Civic Association.  He served as a judge of elections and ran political campaigns for his wife, Edith, who served three terms from 1979 to 1991 as the Lower Merion Township commissioner from Ward 1.

"He campaigned door to door for her," his son said.

Mr. Phelan believed strongly in his own good fortune in life and the need to give to others.

He would begin every family dinner by reminding those around the table, "I hope you remember how lucky you are. To whom much is given, much is expected,"  his son said.

Until two months before his death, when his health failed, Mr. Phelan volunteered to deliver food to elderly shut-ins for Meals on Wheels.

He was a member of the Overbrook Golf Club, where he played tennis with his wife and friends. He enjoyed spending time with his 14 grandchildren on the beach in Avalon.

He rarely missed a sporting event involving his children. "He could be heard from the stands yelling 'Throw them in the weeds'" – meaning the opposing team, his son said.

In the early 1970s, he coached his son's Lower Merion Little League team to a championship.

A devout Catholic, he supported numerous charities including the Society of St.Vincent de Paul, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Philadelphia Catholic Charities Appeal, and the Missionaries of Charity.   He was a member of St. John Vianney Church in Gladwyne, St. Brendan the Navigator in Avalon, and St. William Catholic Church in Naples, Fla.

His wife of 53 years died in 2012. Besides his son, he is survived by children James, Paul, Mary Frances de Bellscize, and Kathleen Sullivan, and three brothers. A brother and sister died earlier.

A visitation starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 will be followed by an 11 a.m. Funeral Mass at St. John Vianney Church, 350 Conshohocken State Rd., Gladwyne. Interment is in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.

Memorial donations may be made to the Mother Teresa Center, 524 West Calle Primera, Suite #1005N, San Ysidro CA 92173.