On Sunday May 26th 2024, William “Bill” Morrison of Wilmington NC passed away after a long courageous fight with congestive heart failure. Bill passed peacefully in the night at the home of his beloved daughter and son in law, who he had been staying with since they supported his love for grilled shrimp and watching endless amounts of golf.
Bill was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and was the oldest of 6 siblings. Growing up, Bill left school at the age of 14 to support his family and help his mom provide. His fondest memories of that time were working hard, so that his siblings could have a magical Christmas, like having an orange or a biro writing pen. He worked in the train yards and in the mines, so that his family could make ends meet. In search of the American dream and to escape generational poverty, in 1961 Bill immigrated to Kearny, New Jersey. There he met the love of his life and wife of 55 years Catherine “Renee” Morrison. Bill and Renee were blessed to have three children, Lance, Deborah and David. They moved to Wilmington, NC in 1972 where Bill was a faithful employee at Occidental chemical for 38 years. After retiring, Bill kept busy by volunteering in his community through Good Shepherd, an organization that strives to end hunger – a cause close to Bill after experiencing poverty from such a young age.
While Bill was known for his hard work ethic and dedication, he will more importantly be remembered as a caring father, who instilled strong values, and a loving granddad. He will be remembered for baking peanut butter cookies, cheating at monopoly and cards, pockets full of candies, and a wicked sweet tooth. Bill was so supportive of his grandchildren that he even traveled out of state to watch his grandsons play baseball. We will always cherish the memory of watching him throw back bourbons and dancing at his oldest granddaughter’s wedding surrounded by all his grandchildren. His grandchildren will always think of him when they see an episode of Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, really any medical shows based in Chicago in general, or any news show or golf program. His grandchildren will miss drinking hot tea with him (he liked his 2 spoonfuls of sugar and no cream) and hearing his stories about Scotland.
Bill was known for having a mischievous sense of humor that he kept all the way up to the end. The twinkle in his eye always made you feel like you both were in on the most wonderful secret. His wit was quick and dry, and easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention. A superficial understanding of Bill was that he was grumpy or gruff, but those of us who had the honor of truly knowing him understood his depth of empathy. You always knew where you stood with Bill and he always let you know exactly what he wanted to eat. We will truly miss hearing him say “what the hell?”
Bill is preceded in death by his wife, Catherine Thomson Morrison. He’s survived by his son Lance Morrison (Karen Morrison), daughter Deborah Howard (John Howard) and son David Morrison (Lisa Morrison), and grandchildren Ryan Ahl, Rachel Ferrell, Sarah Howard, Connor Morrison, Callum Morrison and Amelia Morrison. While Bill moved to the US to pursue the American dream, he always maintained close ties to his family and siblings. Bill will especially be missed by his sisters Catherine Nealon, Elizabeth Ireland and brother Sandy Morrison.
A life celebration will take place in Scotland where Bill’s ashes will go home and his family will celebrate his life. Bill’s ashes will later be scattered in Cambuslang, Scotland where Bill’s late wife, Catherine “Renee” was also scattered.
