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Early on October 8th, Joseph O. (“Joeâ€) Morton received and answered the call to “Come, share your Master’s joy.†He passed away peacefully at home.
Joe is survived by Linda M., his beloved bride of 42 years, a brother, Jere, of Azle, TX, and Jere’s children. Predeceasing Joe are his and Linda’s son Andrew J. Morton, and his parents, CJ and Vi Morton.
Joe was born in February, 1943, in Amarillo, TX. He graduated from high school at Price Memorial College in 1961 and from West Texas State University in 1966. After working for a time for a local newspaper, Joe caught on with the Army Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM) in St. Louis as a logistician. It was in this capacity that he relocated to the Huntsville area as part of BRAC in 1997. He and Linda continued living in Madison after his retirement from AVSCOM.
Joe and Linda have been parishioners at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church the entire time they lived here. Joe ushered regularly and was active in the Knights of Columbus, both Council Number 10232 and fourth degree Assembly Number 2420 at St. John the Baptist. A knight since 1990, Joe held several offices in both the council and the assembly, as well as having been a regular participant in K of C activities. He was part of the ‘Wednesday Morning’ crew at the Huntsville Botanical Garden and force with which to be reckoned on the golf course, achieving some of his finest scores ever this past year.
After having been diagnosed in July, 2012, with leukemia, Joe joined the Cancer Support Ministry team at St. John’s, providing moral support to other cancer sufferers both when receiving treatments himself at Huntsville Hospital and by making home visits when not. Throughout his 27-month battle with this illness, Joe maintained an upbeat demeanor, empowered by his wholehearted trust in God’s wisdom and goodness, by frequent prayer, and by regular Mass attendance whenever not confined. Friends describe him as “a sweet beautiful man.â€
A wake service will be held Thursday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 at St. John the Baptist Church, attended by a Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree honor guard. Knights will maintain an all-night vigil until the Mass of Christian Burial on Friday morning at 11:00. |