Raymond Douglas Morrison

Obituary Raymond Douglas Morrison (3/10/1921 - 1/19/2016) On January 19, 2016, we lost another member of the "Greatest Generation" and World War II veteran. Raymond Douglas Morrison was born in Thorndike, Maine on March 10, 1921, to Harry and Grace (Cochran) Morrison and was the youngest of 10 children. He attended Hampden Academy until he was called up to active duty in 1939. For the next six years Ray was assigned in the U.S. Army's 43rd Infantry Division, and served his country in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Ray participated in the Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons, New Guinea, and Luzon Campaigns and received the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with a Bronze Star. After the war, Ray moved to Grafton, MA to be close to his sisters and that is where he met his future wife, Bertha Healy. They were married in June 1951 and had two daughters, Christine and Nancy. Ray was a skilled machinist who worked for the Norton Company, General Electric, and then moved the family to Washington State to work for the Boeing Company. He worked on many military and space programs including Air Force One and the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle which is still located on the Moon. Ray retired from Boeing in January 1991 and focused on his grandchildren and volunteered with the Holy Cross Church Rummage Sale team. He and his friend, Jim Brady, spent many hours fixing all the donated items for numerous rummage sales. Our Dad could fix anything! Later in life, Ray began attending the 43rd Infantry Division Association Reunions in New England where he made many new friends. One of his lifetime highlights was attending the dedication of the National WWII Memorial in Washington DC on May 29, 2004, with his son-in-law, David Morgan. After his wife's passing in 2009, Ray moved to the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community. He met many wonderful people including Verlus Gudmundson. They became great friends and had lots of fun working on various projects. Ray was known by all the staff at TLRC and they enjoyed his sense of humor and his great smiles for everyone. Ray instilled in his children and his grandchildren the importance of education and a strong work ethic. Dad was a strict father but he deeply cared about his family and friends. If someone was in need of help, Dad would always be one of the first to lend a helping hand. Ray was preceded in death by all his siblings, his wife, Bertha, and his son-in-law, Michael. He is survived by his daughters, Christine Perry and Nancy Morgan (David); grandchildren, Julie Morton (Matt), Christopher and William Morgan; and great-grandchildren, Jackson and Ava. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, February 5, 2016 at 10:30 am at Holy Cross Church (5510 N. 44th Street, Tacoma, WA 98407). Interment at Tahoma National Cemetery with full military honors will follow at 2:30pm (18600 SE 240th Street, Kent, WA). In lieu of flowers, remembrances in his honor may be made to the Holy Cross Parish or to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. (www.vfw.org). Please leave online condolences at www.gaffneycares.com. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home, 253-572-6003.