Norman Stumpf Jr., a bricklayer who went on to found his own general contracting business, died of cancer Tuesday at his Brooklyn Park home. He was 77.

Born in Baltimore's Curtis Bay, he was raised in a section of the neighborhood, Car Shop Homes, where railroad passenger coaches were once built. He was a 1947 graduate of Southern High School.

After service in the Army during the Korean War, he became a machinist at General Refractories and later trained as a bricklayer. He worked for Henry Knott Co. and Consolidated Masonry before establishing his own business. He was a vice president and co-founder of NSC Contractors and later founded Stumpf & Sons, a family-owned contracting firm that remains in business.

Over the years, he led construction projects at University of Maryland Medical Center and Towson University, where he did work on Newell Hall. His company also built many automobile dealerships.

Mr. Stumpf was well known in sports in the Brooklyn and Curtis Bay communities. In the late 1940s and 1950s, he played sandlot football for the Curtis Bay Athletic Club, and he was a past president and board member of the organization. He remained active in the organization until his death, and he had attended 25 consecutive Super Bowls until 2005.

"Mr. Norm's children and grandchildren were fine athletes, and a lot of their success can be traced to the determination and feistiness they acquired from him," said Paul McMullen, a former Sun sports reporter who grew up in Brooklyn Park. "His son Norm was as good a 135-pound high school football player as you will see, Mark played third base for a team that went to the Junior College World Series, and his grandson Paul was an all-county face-off specialist in lacrosse. Mr. Norm reveled in all their accomplishments."

"One of the most enjoyable days I've ever had on a golf course came with Mr. Norm and his sons on the Eastern Shore in September 2006. His health was beginning to fade, and he couldn't hit the ball as far as he used to, but he was as spirited as ever," Mr. McMullen said.

Mr. Stumpf also coached sports for the Brooklyn Park Youth Association. "He was powerful in his presence. He was tough as nails," said Keith Mills, a WBAL radio reporter whom Mr. Stumpf coached. "He was a very good teacher and coach. He was patient and knowledgeable. He cared as much about the kid on the team who was not gifted as his star players."

Mr. Mills recalled that Mr. Stumpf "taught us how to respect authority, play hard, show up on time and be committed."

A golf tournament, the Norman Stumpf Jr. Cancer Classic, was established in his name to benefit the Tate Cancer Center at Baltimore-Washington Medical Center. The event is held annually at the Sparrows Point Country Club.

A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, 3804 Fourth Street in Brooklyn.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, the former Stella J. Znaniec; two sons, Norman Stumpf III and Mark Stumpf, both of Brooklyn Park; a daughter, Kathleen M. Brager of Linthicum; a sister, Jeanne H. Zaruba of Curtis Bay; and six grandchildren.

jacques.kelly@baltsun.com