Willard F. Morgan

Willard Franklin Morgan was born May 25, 1919 near Tasco, Kansas. He died at Citizen’s Medical Center, Colby, Kansas September 29, 2015 at the age of 96. Willard was the eighth of ten children born to John Franklin and Elsie Genial (Quakenbush) Morgan. He spent his childhood herding cattle along Sand Creek, which he said was quite a lonely job, so he taught himself to play the harmonica. His children and many 4-H members remember good times listening to Willard on the harmonica and Felix Reitcheck on the banjo playing songs around the campfire. After graduating from Sheridan Community High School in 1940, Willard joined the US Navy. He trained at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, beginning in September 1940. He was among the 1st draft of students to enter and graduate from machinists school at Ford’s River Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan in May of 1941. He was on board the USS Kaskaskia , an oil tanker bound for Hawaii, and then the USS Trenton as a Chief Machinist Mate until his discharge in 1946. He never lost his love for the sea. He married Mary Edna Wigginton May 1, 1949. She preceded him in death on April 20, 1994. To this union were born seven children, one of whom, John Henry, died as an infant. Willard was involved in The Gideons International, the First Presbyterian Church, the Republican Party, and various local and agricultural organizations. He was a shareholder in the Hoxie Cattle Co, which built and managed what is now Hoxie Feed Yard, Inc. Willard’s one regret was that he never had the opportunity to attend college. His skills learned as a machinist enabled him to maintain and also build some of his farm equipment. His well-equipped shop was a place where neighborhood men came for minor repairs and advice. The farm he operated was recognized as a Century Farm in 2012. Willard opened his home to nephews who needed a break from city life for the summer and others who needed a place to live and a job. He especially enjoyed sharing his faith through daily Bible reading at the supper table and speaking for and passing out Bibles with the Gideons. Willard is survived by his children: Myrna (John) Goracke, Phillipsburg; Elsie (Ronnie) Rietcheck, Rexford; Susan Draper, Colby; Sam (Shannon) Morgan, Hoxie; Judy Kennedy, Colby; and Robert (Jackie) Morgan, Okeechobee, FL., 13 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, 4 step grandchildren, 6 step great grandchildren, one brother, Arthur Morgan, Hoisington, and a host of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mary; an infant son, John Henry; a grandson, Joseph Daniel Morgan; brothers, Robert, Julius, and Wallace; sisters, Irene, Winnie, Rosa, Vera, and Lucille; and son-in-law, Bill Draper. Reception: First Presbyterian Church