Vernon L. Morris

He was born on April 27, 1926, near Hallsville, Texas to Marlin Lowe Morris and Ethel Abigail Collier Morris. He was the youngest of 7 children whose formative years were spent in Marshall, Texas.

Vernon worked 41 years in the telephone industry starting with the San Angelo Telephone Company which later became General Telephone then GTE and is now part of Verizon. He met the love of his life, Bobbie Jo Morris whom he married in 1950 in San Angelo. They spent 65 wonderful years together until her passing on May 18, 2015. Vernon is also preceded in death by his parents and all six of his siblings.

Throughout his life, Vernon proved to be a loyal and devoted son, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, and friend. His sense of humor was legendary and appreciated by those who knew him. He was famous for his quips. If presented with a price he considered to be too much, he was often heard to utter that he would not pay that much to watch a red ant eat a bale of hay.

Vernon also led an active life as an amateur athlete who was once invited to try out as a pitcher for the then Washington Senators baseball franchise. However, love and career intervened, and he became a teen age team baseball coach in the 1950s and early 1960s. In the 1960s, when his daughter Jan’s girl scout troop found itself without a scout master, he became a girl scout master. The women of the girl scout troop are honorary pallbearers. After retiring from the telephone company, he was a member of the Telephone Pioneers Association and participated in various activities including cook outs and monthly luncheon meetings. He particularly enjoyed Christmas at Old Fort Concho where the organization had its telephone museum. He loved telling attendees about the early days of the industry and showing them the antique telephones, the museum has on display.

He loved to watch western movies especially those with John Wayne. He also liked to listen to music. He loved Boogie Woogie music, Big Band era music (particularly Glen Miller, and Country Western music. His favorite song was "Going to Kansas City". He was an avid sports fan, particularly with regard to the Dallas Cowboys, The University of Texas Longhorns, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros and New York Yankees. He also supported the Angelo State University Rams for many years and has had season tickets to the football teams home games continuously since 1972.

He is survived by one son Brett L. Morris and JoAnn Haley of Austin, Texas, and daughter Jan Pewitt and Jim Beacham; three grandchildren: Jessica Pewitt and Brett Pewitt of San Angelo and Drew Pewitt of Marietta, Georgia; and two great grandchildren Kylie and Kamrie Pewitt.

Visitation will be at Johnson's Funeral Home from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm on Monday, November 22, 2021. A service will be held in the chapel at the Johnson Funeral Home at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, followed by interment at Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens. Family and friends are welcome to attend.

Pallbearers include: Brett Pewitt, Drew Pewitt, Jim Beacham, Billy Costello, Jerry Bunyard, and Robert Baxter.

No obituary would be complete without an expression of gratitude to the magnificent nurses, aides, technicians, and hospitalists of Shannon Medical Center. The genuine caring and professional excellence with which these dedicated healers treated Vernon and his family members will always be remembered with profound gratitude.