John Bartlett Morgan, age 93, of the Town of Scandinavia, passed away Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at ThedaCare Medical Center of Waupaca.
John was born on November 21, 1922 in Milwaukee to Earl and Louise (Barber) Morgan. They moved to a farm near Hartland, WI in 1933. He graduated from Hartland High School in 1940 and joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942, where he served as an engineering officer in the Pacific Theater. While serving, he met the love of his life, Shirley May O’Mara, and they were married in 1946. He later retired from the service as a Lieutenant Colonel. John received a B.S. degree from Stout Institute (now U.W. Stout) in 1947 and moved to Waupaca the same year. John taught Industrial Arts at Waupaca High School from 1947 until he retired in 1985. During that time, he developed the Central Wisconsin Vocational Education Program that served five local school districts. He was the first area coordinator for Fox Valley Technical College in Waupaca, and served in that capacity for 30 years. He also developed and conducted the Waupaca Foundry Training Program and administered it for 31 years. John was also a designer, and designed several local private homes and some commercial buildings – most notably Stange’s of Waupaca, the Accelerated Learning Center and the layout of South Park. John was a long-time member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, serving on the vestry and as both junior and senior wardens.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Shirley. He is survived by his daughter, Susan Townsend; his sons: Bill (Linda), John (Lisa), Steve (Angie) and Jim; grandchildren: Shannon, Keeley, Josh, Erin, Jeremy, Lindsey and Steve; and nine great-grandchildren: John, Noah, Mark, Molly, Hayden, Maddec, Ryker, Kieran and Khyra.
Visitation will be held Sunday, March 6, 2016 from 4 until 7 p.m. at the Maple Crest Funeral Home. Private family memorial services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established which will help support several local charities.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Earl Anderson, the nurses at ThedaCare Waupaca and the hospice nurses at ThedaCare at Home for their wonderful care of John.