William Eugene Morris

William Eugene Morris was born on February 23, 1947, in Charlotte,
North Carolina, the first child to John and Lillian Morris, and one year
older than his sister Alice Louise. From an early age, William was
affectionately called Gene by his family.

When Gene was a young child, the Morris family moved from Charlotte,
North Carolina to Boston, Massachusetts. He began his formal
education in Boston attending Berean SDA Elementary. His middle and
high school years were spent at Greater Boston Academy.

For college, Gene attended Atlantic Union College (AUC) in South
Lancaster, Massachusetts. While in his senior year at AUC, he was
drafted into the United States Army. His reporting was delayed due to
his educational pursuit. He graduated from AUC with a degree in
Business Management in 1969. He worked briefly as a Bank Supervisor
in Boston before reporting for military duty in September 1969.

Gene served in the United States Army as a Medic and a participant in
Project CD-22 Operation Whitecoat from 1969 to 1971 at Fort Detrick in
Frederick, Maryland. His decorations include the National Defense
Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal. After receiving an Honorable
Discharge for his military service as a Specialist 4 th Class, he remained in
the Washington D.C. area working as a Supply Clerk at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center. He also worked as a Billing Administrator and
Office Supervisor for various doctors in the D.C. area for several years.

As a huge music lover, Gene enjoyed singing. He was an original
member of The Brothers of Washington, D.C., an all-male acapella
gospel chorus established in 1970. He sang bass and was also the
group’s business manager. Gene travelled across the country with The
Brothers singing at various churches, concerts, and unique events for
many years. While he was an active member, the group recorded three
professional studio albums, Go Tell It On The Mountain (1974), Take
Two (1976) and He Brought Me The Light (1979).

Being a huge fan of basketball, Gene found a dream job working in the
marketing department for the Washington Bullets. While there, he
often allowed his son to tag along, attend hundreds of live games and
meet NBA legends like Earl Monroe, Wes Unseld, Julius Erving, Elvin
Hayes, Dominique Wilkins, Moses Malone, Nate Archibald, and Larry
Bird. Gene’s connections with the organization paved the way for The
Brothers to sing the Star-Spangled Banner at a Washington Bullets
home game at Capital Centre vs the Philadelphia 76ers on March 12,
1983.

Upon returning home to Charlotte, NC, Gene continued with his
passion in sports. He was hired to assist with the marketing team of the
Charlotte Hornets in 1988. He loved supporting live sporting events at
Charlotte Coliseum and was an active member of their energetic event
staff. He genuinely enjoyed being part of the game day activities,
interactions with Hornets players and fans of the team. He assembled
quite an extensive sports memorabilia and souvenir collection.
Although he worked for two different NBA organizations, he was a huge
fan of the Boston Celtics (NBA). His love for the Celtics originated from
growing up in Boston as a kid. He was also a big-time supporter of the
Carolina Panthers (NFL), and Tiger Woods (Golf).

In addition to his time with the NBA franchises, Gene also worked at
Target for 15 years. Over the course of his career at Target he juggled
multiple roles. As a Greeter, he was joyous in welcoming customers at
the North Park Mall location. He quickly became a fixture there because
of his infectious smile, sense of humor and kind demeanor. As an Asset
Protection Specialist, he also took pride in responding to security and
safety issues, gathering intelligence, and communicating critical issues
with his team. He retired from Target in 2003.

Gene loved his three grandchildren dearly. He cherished all the time
that they spent with him, whether in-person or by weekly video calls.
He would regularly salute them on their academic and athletic
achievements. Being their grandpa made him so immensely proud and
he always reminded them how precious they were to him.
On July 19, 2023, Gene completed his earthly journey. After facing a
decade long struggle with advanced dementia-related health issues, he
earned his heavenly rest at the age of 76.

Gene is survived by his loving son Gregory (Jenelle) Morris;
granddaughters Avery Morris and Kennedy Morris, grandson Jackson
Morris; his attentive cousin Janice Morris; his aunts Ida Morris and
Nancy Huntley. He is also survived by many cousins and close friends.
He was predeceased by his parents John Morris, Jr. (January 13, 2023)
and Lillian Morris (July 23, 2019) and his sister Alice Parker (January 8,
2019).

Gene loved the Lord and shared the gospel with many people
throughout his life. His favorite saying was “Keep Hope Alive.” He
embodied this saying by uplifting people with clever insights and stories
to help them make it through. We await the second coming of his Lord
& Savior, Jesus Christ and know that we will see Gene again.