William "Bill" Morrison

William "Bill" Morrison, 89-1/2, passed away on November 18, 2014.He was raised in Wilmette, was the eldest of three children, lived most of his life in Park Ridge, and had been living in Northbrook. He graduated from Northwestern University in the '40s and then served as ensign in the U.S. Navy as a Gunnery Officer at the end of World War II. Bill and Dolores were married in the early '50s.When he retired, he was an Electrical Engineer at Western Electric. He was an innovator, held many U.S. patents, and was once active in the Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce. "Bill became known as Mr. Hibiscus after many years of successfully developing unique varieties of winter hardy hibiscus. He liked to make people laugh with a few jokes or ask them how long they held their current job. He loved using his iPad to follow the stock market, monitor the weather, and stay in touch with his family.In February 2014, Bill had been diagnosed with AML leukemia. Thereafter, he underwent low-dose chemotherapy and received blood transfusions on an outpatient basis with some success. After a sharp decline in November, he passed away with his wife (Dolores) and daughters (Melody and Carol) at his side. He is also survived by loving in-laws, grandchildren, a great grandchild, a sister, a niece, and nephews. A brother and nephew predeceased him.A gathering of family and friends remembered and celebrated Bill's life at Glueckert Funeral Home in Arlington Heights on January 18, 2015, with a short ceremony at 3:30 p.m. A private interment will be at Acacia Park Cemetery in Norridge.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bill"s memory to the Leukemia Research Foundation, 3520 Lake Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091, www.leukemia-research.org or consider giving blood at your local blood bank.