Edward R. Morgan III, 68, self-made businessman

Edward R. Morgan III, 68, formerly of Havertown, a self-made businessman, died Monday, Dec. 2, of pneumonia at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Mr. Morgan founded Chemical Equipment Labs Inc., a water-treatment and chemical sales business in 1979. Through hard work and with help from his family, Mr. Morgan expanded from a tiny enterprise in the basement of his Havertown home into a corporation with offices in Marcus Hook, Virginia, and Delaware.

The company offers water-treatment compounds, ice melt, and swimming-pool chemicals and ships the products worldwide, according to its website.

"He was very proud of this accomplishment and enjoyed working," his family said in a statement.

Born in Lansdowne, Mr. Morgan was raised in Drexel Hill. He graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1963 and later attended Pennsylvania State University.

He married the former Joyce Liverton, and the two settled in Havertown and had four children. They divorced, and in 1992, he married the former Kathleen Carragher.

Mr. Morgan began his career in the water-treatment business by working for Klenzoid Equipment Inc., then in Conshohocken.

As a young businessman, he was recruited by the Republican Party to become involved in politics. He served for many years as chairman of the township's Zoning Hearing Board and later as chairman of its Civil Service Commission.

As Mr. Morgan aged, and his children produced grandchildren, he got a kick out of seeing how the grandchildren heckled their parents. "Payback," he would whisper, and then laugh. He was not above pulling a prank on a relative or friend.

Following his father's example, he became a Freemason, and rose to the position of Master, and then a Past Master of Masonic Lodge 51 of Philadelphia. He took his role very seriously, his family said.

He was an avid boater and enjoyed fishing for his dinner or taking a ride with family and friends on sunny days at the Jersey Shore. He also enjoyed solving problems - from fixing his car, boat, or a broken radio to figuring out the number of molecules in a typical glass of water.

"He had a scientific background and enjoyed applying this knowledge, trying to understand the unanswered questions of the universe," his family said.

Besides his wife of 21 years, he is survived by sons Edward and Johnathon; daughters Barbara and Deborah; eight grandchildren, and a sister. His first wife, Joyce Liverton, also survives.

A viewing will be held from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne. A funeral will follow at 11 a.m. at the church. Interment is in George Washington Memorial Cemetery in Valley Forge National Park.

The family said that donations may be made to Masonic Villages, Elizabethtown, 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown, Pa. 17022.