John J. Morony Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Friends and family note with sadness the passing of John Joseph Morony, Jr. at his home in Del Rio, Texas, on Monday, July 18, 2016. Mr. Morony, 79, died peacefully following a long struggle with the effects of cancer. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Martha Lozano, whose family was from Zapata County. They were married in 2005; they had no children. Mr. Morony was the son of John and Elizabeth Morony, who raised seven children at the family home south of Alamo, Texas. Mr. Morony held two science degrees in biology: a B.S. degree from Texas A&M, along with a Master’s degree from LSU. Following his graduation from Texas A&M, he was commissioned a Lieutenant of the Infantry. He later held the rank of Captain, serving variously as an Airborne Ranger and as an officer in the Special Forces. He later served as a Company Commander in the 69th Infantry, New York National Guard. Mr. Morony was associated with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City during the early part of his professional career. He later performed research work at Columbia University and at the Museum of Natural Science in Baton Rouge, LA. He participated in a number of field expeditions in South America, in the Amazon Basin, Mexico and elsewhere in the Neotropics. Mr. Morony was widely published in the field of volcanism, most notably in his discoveries of midtertiary hydrovolcanism in the Texas Coastal Plain region. He lectured widely on that subject and other aspects of biogeography. Mr. Morony taught biology as a member of the faculty of San Antonio College and more recently at the Del Rio campus of Southwest Texas Junior College. While in Del Rio, he performed extensive research on the composition and use of adobe and other earthen materials in building construction. Together with his wife Martha, Mr. Morony developed data on the scientific properties of adobe, which led to major breakthroughs in construction and design. Much of their work was done at the Esperanza Research Center in Del Rio, where he built a large adobe residential structure that served as their home and studio. Mr. Morony and his wife made frequent appearances at adobe-related conferences in New Mexico. They jointly developed plans to construct and operate an Adobe Museum in Del Rio.

John J. Morony

September 15, 1936 - July 18, 2016