Donald A. Morrison Sr.

In a time when we are never encouraged to show loyalty to anything, a man of dedication is a rare, but welcome breath of fresh air. Don Morrison knew the pains and trials, but also the joys and rewards of being dedicated to his work, his children and grandchildren and most of all to his wife of fifty-one years. The impact of the love and steadfastness of Don's life will continue to affect his family for generations to come.

The year 1933 saw many beginnings and many changes in the United States and the World at large. It was the year that both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Hitler both became the leaders of their nations. The depression was coming to an end and the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified repealing prohibition. Amongst these changes around the country, in the city of Detroit, Michigan, parents, Alexander and Emma Morrison celebrated the birth of their second son. On the 25th of May, 1933 Donald Allen Morrison was born. Don's middle name came from the Bridge of Allen in Scotland where his family was originally from.

Don's father worked for Packard Motor Company. Don attended Redford High School where he played baseball and was a talented clarinet player in the band. He graduated in 1951. After graduation, Don went to work for Neil Corp. where he built gears for jet aircraft.

It wasn't long after he graduated that his good friend Bob introduced Don to his sister. Patricia was still in high school when the two began dating. They could often be found at drive-in-movie theatres or at the roller skating rink, two of their favorite date locations. After roughly three years of courtship, they had won each other's hearts and were married on September 18, 1954.

Soon after they were married Don felt the call to join the army and went to serve his country for two years. During these two years while Don was away, Patricia alternated back and forth between living with her parents and his parents while her husband was gone. Once he returned they bought a house in Pontiac. Back from the army, Don jumped right back into the swing of things. He got a full time job designing gears for the Equitable Engineering Company and began taking night classes at Lawrence Tech. Over the course of the next ten years he obtained his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was employed by Ford Motor Company as an Engineer from 1972 till he retired in March, 1996.

The Morrison family grew to three in 1955 when Patricia gave birth to their eldest son, Don Jr. Three years later the family reached its final size of four when Gary was born in 1958. As the family grew the space in their house became less adequate and when Gary was 2 they moved into a new house in Farmington Hills which is where Don and Patricia still live.

When it came to Don's passions for the outdoors, he was a man of many loves. He loved to garden, and he loved his garden, almost as much as his pesky arch nemesis the groundhog who always enjoyed the fertile soil and fresh produce. He was an avid deer hunter and was a card carrying member of the NRA. He often told his deer stories about how the big one got away, one came right up to him and was face to face with him only Don was asleep so he missed it. He enjoyed taking his family and nieces and nephews to Dollar Bay for life lasting memorable vacations. Don enjoyed fishing and the company of the children whom would "finish their vegetables."

Don was extremely savvy with the stock market and the whole financial system. Word of his knowledge got around and he was often answering questions and giving what most considered to be great advice to those who were in need of direction and tips on investing. For Don, with the scare of the depression, he was rather frugal with his own money and was always sure to save some, in the best interest of providing for his family.

Far beyond, his garden and deer hunting and the stock market, Don loved his family. There's a special place that grandchildren have in a grandparent's heart and Don was no exception. Don loved his grandchildren and he had a nickname for each one of them. He loved to have them come over to his house and have them stay with him. They'd hang out and he'd teach them a variety of different things. Making sure they wore their seat belt was one. He would test to see if their belts were fastened or not by slamming on the breaks, and if they weren't, it was not hard to figure out who hadn't obeyed. However unorthodox his teaching method, it is a memory that will always remain with his grandchildren.

He also loved to go camping and travel to different places around the country with his family. Disney World was one of the big trips that they took as a family, but also Lake Tahoe was another that stood out among the rest. He shared his passion for boating with his whole family whether it was taking them for a ride on Lake Erie or the Detroit River or the special trips to the amusement park on Boblo Island. When they would go up north to Harrisville, they would visit Paul Holbrook a friend that owned a saw mill. Don and his boys and grandchildren would go and help out there.

For himself however, Don loved to read the Wall Street Journal and listen to music. He could often be heard singing his own melodies in the shower or listening to the soothing voices of Elvis and Nat King Cole. There was also a special bond that Don had with his beagle dogs.

Amongst the many things that we enjoy and find pleasure in while we're living, there is only one thing that makes a difference during life and after death, love. We all need the love of those closest to us to make it through this world and Don both gave his love and received it in return from all his friends and family. May Don's love and dedication and good sense of humor live on in the hearts of all who knew him.

Donald A. Morrison Sr. died September 30, 2005. Don's family includes his beloved wifePatricia, sons, Donald Jr. and Gary (Teresa), grandchildren Tinesha, Ryan, Crystal, Chris, Tara, Breanna and Joey and brother Robert (Julie).

Friends may visit with Don's family on Monday, October 3, 2005 from 2-9PM. A Lifestory service will be held in the morning of Tuesday, October 4, 2005 at the McCabe Lifestory Funeral Home, 31950 W. 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills . Please visit Don's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can share a memory, send flowers of make a memorial contribution.