James William Munday, Jr. passed away suddenly on May 17, 2023, in his hometown of Belmar, NJ, after suffering a brief illness. He is survived by his beloved wife and his son, Marianne and Samuel (26), his sister Patricia, and his parents, who live in Torrance, CA. During his 17.5-year career with the Port Authority, Jim held key leadership roles in the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Aviation Department. In his eight years with Aviation, he led the Airport Operations Divisions at both LGA and EWR before inaugurating the position of General Manager, Aviation Operations Support within Aviation Central Staff, where he was instrumental creating the Airport Operations Centers and in helping develop and implement Aviation's COVID-19 Resumption Plan, among other critical policies and procedures before his retirement from the Port Authority on July 24, 2021.
Jim was born in South Dakota, but grew up in California. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Jim dedicated his life to serving the public. In addition to his service with the Port Authority, he had a distinguished career as a U.S. Army Infantry Officer, retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel, and worked in emergency management at Disneyland for many years before joining the Port Authority. Jim was 69 years old when he passed. He will be sorely missed.