William Morris

Lt. Col. William Foody Morris, USA (Ret.)

(September 7, 1927 – December 22, 2021)

Bill began his amazing journey through life in the south side community of Chicago, Illinois. Born to John James and Alice V. Foody Morris he grew up with a strong Irish determination and ethic which served him well throughout his interesting and eventful life. Upon graduation from Mt. Carmel High School in 1945 he served 22 months at sea in the U.S. Maritime Services first sailing the Great Lakes and then on a T-2 oil tanker that traveled to Europe, South America, Dutch West Indies, Persian Gulf, etc., traversing both the Panama and Suez Canals. Bill then entered the US Army, became a commissioned officer at Ft. Riley, Kansas, and served three years in the occupation forces in Germany as a Tank Unit Leader in the only heavy tank battalion in Europe. In 1951 he purchased a MG TD, delivered from England to Würzburg, Germany, which he continued to drive until late September of 2021 when the car was “put to bed” for the winter. He separated from active duty as a 1 ^st Lieutenant Calvary in 1952.

In January 1953 he drove his MG from Chicago to East Lansing, Michigan to attend Michigan State University where “bang – it happened!”  He was introduced to a beautiful fellow Chicagoan, Rosemary Ruck. They soon became engaged and married in 1954.

Bill kept active in the US Army Reserve and served as a Captain Battery Commander of the USAR 745 ^th Field Artillery Battalion in Lansing all through college and was a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, the business honorary fraternity.

Upon graduation in 1957, Bill was hired by Reynolds Metals Company as a sales/marketing intern and Bill and Rosemary traveled in their MG to Alabama. A short time later they moved to Louisville, Kentucky where their daughter, Pamela Margarethe, was born in May of 1958. Also in that year, Bill was hired by Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical in Nashville, Tennessee.  In 1963, he was transferred to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma as Building Products Territory Manager.

In 1967 Bill was recalled from the Army Reserves to active military and Vietnam service as battalion operations officer, Quartermaster Corps, 88 ^th supply and service battalion, and was wounded during the TET offensive of 1968. He was then assigned to the General Staff G-4 (Logistics) Headquarters, 4 ^th Infantry Division in Vietnam where he served as Chief of Plans and Operations.

He thankfully returned to his family in Oklahoma City, and they were “In the Army Now.” First to Ft. Ord, California where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, 4 ^th Infantry Division and then to Mannheim, West Germany. Then to Kaiserslautern as a tank Maintenance Battalion Commander. In 1972 after release from active duty and return to reserve status, Bill was hired by the Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency as Chief of Military Assistance Branch first in Heidelberg Germany then in Wiesbaden where he coordinated activities with the US Embassies Defense Attaches and Military Assistance Advisory Groups with special assignments to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Upon return to the US in 1975 he became Program Manager for the Department of Defense (DOD) Worldwide Recyclable Materials Sales Programs and in 1987 was named Chief of the DOD Precious Metals Recovery Program with headquarters based in Battle Creek, Michigan. He developed and initiated the geographical rotation commodity sale concept, introduced the use of metal and alloy analyzers for identification and segregation of scrap metals and was the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Services aircraft sales specialist. He retired in 1991.

In addition to MSU, Bill graduated from Army Ground General School, the Armored School, the Quartermaster School, the US Army Command and General Staff College, and the Defense Resources Management Course from the Naval Post Graduate School. He also has a certificate in disposal operations from ALMC and the American Logistics Association. Bill also taught courses at Ft. Lee, Virginia, The US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and The Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California.

Bill was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Purple Heart, Joint Service Commendation, Army Commendation and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and other service medals and unit citations.

He was a proud member of several military organizations and past commander of the Purple Heart Chapter 110. He also enjoyed active membership in the Kalamazoo Rod & Gun Club, Battle Creek Hunt equestrian club, Mad Dogs and Englishmen car club, Michigan State Alumni Association, was a past docent and Good Egg recipient at Binder Park Zoo and a former member of the Optimists, and Battle Creek Historical Society.

Sadly, Bill’s wife, Rosemary, predeceased him on November 22, 2001. His parents and brother, James Oliver Morris, are deceased. He is survived by his daughter, Pamela and son-in law, Stanley Sager of Augusta, Michigan. His brother’s daughter, Shannon Alice Morris, of Arlington Heights, Illinois and sister-in-law, Nanette Morris, of Northbrook, Illinois survives.

Bill’s career took him to all corners of the world, but Rosemary and Pam were his world. Every change was deemed an adventure with opportunities to learn and grow. We were together, united in love, through every facet of life. Bill/Daddy remained active and current and had relevant and informative opinions on virtually any subject. He was a kind and fair man. Every conversation with Bill was a learning experience drawn from his vast life experiences and his keen observations of the world. His sense of humor, quick wit, advice, independence, and wisdom will be missed.

Committal Service with military honors is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at Fort Custer National Cemetery.  Rev. Joel Turmo of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church officiating.  Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.henryfuneralhome.org