Patrick Pat Gene Morrison

Pat passed on Thursday, September 19th, 2013 at his home in Northwest Portland with his family by his side. Born in La Junta, Colorado on December 15, 1941, he was the only child born to parents Pat B. and Veda Mae Pyle Morrison. His family relocated to the Portland, Oregon area when he was a young boy. He graduated from Roosevelt High School where he enjoyed sports such as poll vaulting, football, and track.

Patrick was married to Mary Petershagen, his high school sweetheart, for 53 years. In 1973, his wife Mary, daughter Janet, and twin sons Patrick and Michael, relocated from North Portland (University of Portland area) to NW Portland near Sunset High School where they reside to this day.

As a young family, the Morrisons’ enjoyed many camping trips and travels together: Oregon beaches, Kah-Nee-Tah Warm Springs, Disneyland, Lake Shasta and a very memorable trip to Hawaii to name a few.

Patrick worked as a Portland Firefighter retiring as a Fire Marshall, with a total of 28 years of service in Portland Fire Bureau, serving as Fire Marshall for the last few years of his career.

He was a loving husband, father, and grandpa and was a great provider for his family; a very hard worker, usually working two or more other jobs above and beyond his firefighting occupation. He was a "do-it-yourself" kind of guy.

He had a passion for playing pool, looking forward to playing tournaments as often as possible. He was an elite player that was celebrated and respected in his pool-playing circle. He had a natural ability for sports and games including pinball, ping-pong, foosball, and tournament-level handball and billiards. In his younger years, he was a fiercely competitive handball player with the guys at the fire house and in tournaments. .

Another passion of Patrick's was buying cars, doing some repairs to them, enjoying them, then reselling them for a profit.

He was an excellent cook, always preparing the traditional Christmas prime rib dinner and éclairs, chicken or seafood fettuccine for the family; as well, he prepared meals at the firehouse throughout his career.

Pat enjoyed reading detective and spy novels by Grisham, Parker, Kava, Hoag, and Patterson; notably among his favorites are John D. MacDonald’s “Travis McGee” Novel Series.

Patrick will be remembered as a man of "quiet wisdom" and was not one to offer his opinion unless asked to do so. Though he was generally quiet in disposition, Patrick enjoyed being social and he loved to tell a favorite joke, make someone laugh and smile and visit one-on-one, even if it was someone he had never met. He will also be remembered for his great love for animals, especially dogs and cats. He had many beloved pet companions throughout his life and would walk a block to pet a dog.

He is survived by his loving wife, Mary; daughter, Janet Sanders (husband James) of Bainbridge Island, Washington; sons Patrick M. of Vancouver, Washington, and Michael P. of Beaverton, Oregon; six grandchildren, Danielle, Dylan, Chance, Grant, Rumer, and Blake; and his very special Lhasa Apso dog companion, Jasmine.

A celebration of Patrick's life, graveside ceremony, and reception, will be held at Skyline Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home, 4101 NW Skyline Blvd., Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, September 26th at 1:00 pm.

Public viewing will be held in Skyline Chapel from 12pm to 1pm before the chapel ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made also to the Oregon Humane Society or the American Cancer Society.

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