Morton Keiser | Business owner, 89

Morton Keiser, 89, of Haverford, owner of Tioga Pipe Supply Co., died Monday of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Mr. Keiser graduated from Overbrook High School. During World War II, he served in the Army and saw combat in the Battle of the Bulge.

After his discharge, he returned to Philadelphia and sold surplus pipe out of the trunk of his car to construction companies, sign-makers, and any company that needed them, his son Bennett said. The business evolved to become Tioga Pipe Supply Co., a leading supplier to global energy industries, including power plants, refineries, and petro-chemical plants, and also to Navy shipbuilders. Though his three sons now run the business, he was still going to work every day and considered his employees his extended family, his son said.

Mr. Keiser served on the board of Firstrust Bank in Philadelphia. He was also on the board of the North American Friends of Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research and was an active supporter of local Jewish charities.

He enjoyed golfing and spending time with his grandchildren. He traveled all over the world with his wife, Ellie Miller Keiser. They were married for 48 years when she died in 1998.

In addition to his son Bennett, Mr. Kaiser is survived by sons Andy and David and seven grandchildren.

The funeral was Wednesday at Main Line Reform Temple in Wynnewood. Mr. Keiser was the first president of the Men's Club at the temple, which was established in 1954. Burial was in Roosevelt Memorial Park, Trevose.