Donnie Eugene Morgan was born on April 30, 1933 in Zalma, Missouri to Thomas and Norna (Bridges) Morgan. His siblings were Troy, Roy, Bess, Ben and Larry. Don’s younger years were spent growing up on a farm as his father was a sharecropper. His family moved to St. Louis, Missouri for new employment when he was 12 years old.
As a teenager, Don worked in a bowling alley, bakery and sold concessions at Cardinal baseball games. He enjoyed roller skating for fun. Don attended the Church of Christ with his family and was baptized into Christ when he was 15. He graduated from McKinley High School and entered the Navy when he was 18 years old. Don’s first Naval assignment was on a ship that sailed from California to Japan. In the spring of 1953, he was assigned to work on a submarine in New London, Connecticut. It was there that he met Marie Geyer at a YMCA Memorial Day picnic. They spent the next year dating and were engaged in May 1954.
The evening before Don and Marie were to be married, Hurricane Edna hit Noank, Connecticut causing power outages and making the roads difficult to maneuver. Despite the storm, Don and Marie had a beautiful wedding only a few hours later than planned on September 11, 1954.
In December 1955, Don found new employment as a Government Communication Specialist for the CIA which allowed Don to work in Virginia and many different embassies overseas. Don and his family lived in Virginia, Asia, Europe, Central America and Africa. Don retired in December 1985 in Oklahoma. Don and his family enjoyed living in many interesting places and were blessed with many special friends along the way. Don and Marie had four children; Donna, Tom, Suzie and Nancy.
Being faithful to God was very important to him. Don and Marie were very active in the Lord’s church wherever they lived. Don was an Elder in the Church of Christ in Great Falls, Virginia and Bixby, Oklahoma; he was a member of the 29th & Yale Church of Christ in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He taught his children to love God and obey His Word. He led his family in devotionals and had them take part in church lectureships, camp and fun church gatherings. The family has been blessed because of his faithfulness to God.
When the children were young, Don built them a play house, planted vegetable gardens, was a part of their extracurricular activities and took time to teach them to play baseball and tennis. He made anniversaries, birthdays and holidays special. Education was very important to Don and he made sure all his children had the opportunity to attend a Christian college.
Don had a family vacation that he especially enjoyed in 1964 driving from Central America to California (DisneyLand), Wyoming (Old Faithful), Missouri, Connecticut and finally moving to Virginia. After retiring in 1985, he and Marie enjoyed traveling to Alaska, the Panama Canal and especially Branson, Missouri. He was a devoted husband to Marie and took care of her when she became ill in her last years. He was a wonderful example of his love and dedication to her.
Don passed away August 20th, 2021. He was 88.
Donnie Morgan is survived by his brother Ben Morgan and his wife Mary; his sister-in-law Monya Morgan; his children Donna Holloway, Tom Morgan, Suzie Billingsley and Nancy Schweikhard; his grandchildren Tim and Ryan Morgan, Megan Walvoord, Brenda Deal, Wendy Hutchins, Jodi Murray, Dan and Kayla Schweikhard; his great grandchildren Parker, Lilia and Elise Morgan, William and Emma Walvoord, Dameon, Patrick and Kaylee Murray and Caroline Hutchins.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marie Morgan, his parents, Thomas and Norna Morgan, his twin brothers Troy and Roy Morgan, his sister Bess Andonoff and his brother Larry Morgan.
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