Maurice Morton

Maurice was born on October 17th, 1940 in the rural community of Strafford, Missouri. He grew up in a farmhouse in the woods of the Ozarks and developed a love of the outdoors from a young age. His siblings remember him spending all day roaming the woods fishing as well as watching and tracking birds and wildlife in the area, wandering home only late in the day when he had to. His fascination for the natural world and enjoyment of its solitude were traits he kept throughout his life.

Upon graduating high school he joined the United States Navy and served aboard the USS Guadalupe, traveling to areas such as Japan and the Philippines. After completing his service he earned a degree in accounting from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He passed the rigorous test to become a Certified Public Accountant and worked for several years in Springfield before joining a practice in El Dorado, Kansas where he lived for seven years.

When given the opportunity to move west to Wyoming, Maurice jumped at the chance. He moved his family to Casper in 1981 and worked with Fox and Company before becoming a partner at the firm of Harris, Huber and Company. He eventually moved on to establish his own independent practice; his colleagues remember him as an exceptionally talented professional. He loved the wide open spaces of Wyoming and was an avid fisherman, enjoying trips to the river, Alcova, and Pathfinder with his son Jeff and son-in-law Joe all year round. One of his favorite experiences was a fishing trip to Alaska to catch salmon and halibut, though he always felt the local trout were just a little bit of a letdown after the massive salmon he caught on that trip.

Maurice developed another passion after moving to Wyoming: the game of golf. A longtime member of the Casper Country Club, he played as often as possible, and was usually to be found heading out the door early on weekend mornings to see how many of his golfing partners were ready for a round. Highly competitive, he loved to have a wager on the outcome and when asked upon returning home how golf was he could always be counted on to first answer either, "Our team won" or "Our team lost," before any discussion of how well he had played. He also enjoyed hanging out at the club with the guys, particularly on Wednesday nights when he would stop off to visit and indulge in a drink or two of his beloved Pinch, which he always maintained was the best Scotch.

Another love for Maurice was science and philosophy. He read countless books on theoretical physics, astronomy, cosmology and philosophy when he had the time and could always be counted on to know what interesting astronomical sights were to be seen at any given time of year. His children could always rely on him to inform them that it was a great time of year to see Venus, Jupiter and the moon in close proximity, or to watch out for a lunar eclipse or meteor shower. He would surely have loved to see the total solar eclipse coming in the summer of 2017, with Wyoming being one of the best viewing sites in the world.

After a long and successful career Maurice finally decided to retire and take it easy at the age of 73. He kept busy, however, and of course continued to play golf several times a week. In the winter he switched to bowling, and liked having coffee with the boys downtown of a morning. He also took almost daily walks at Edness Kimball Wilkins state park outside of Casper at all times of the year to carry on with his lifelong love of birding and wildlife viewing, and could be counted on to give a report on anything interesting he had seen. He enjoyed sightings of the porcupine he would frequently encounter there along with deer, red fox, and myriad species of birds. He also worked his way back through college algebra and was planning to tackle trigonometry and calculus next in order to better understand his primary area of scientific interest, particle physics. He could often be found at his desk at home, pouring over formulas and enjoying every minute of it. He also remained active in the community, doing pro bono work for the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and serving as a commissioner for Serve Wyoming.

Maurice celebrated his 54th wedding anniversary with his wife Shirley in the summer of 2016; they spent a lifetime taking care of one another and raising their two children, Jeff and Michele, and enjoying time in recent years with their grandchildren, Liam and Amelia. Throughout his battle with leukemia his personality never changed, which amazed his family and friends. He was never angry, bitter or difficult; he soldiered on with his usual calm, laid-back attitude and remained strong and positive throughout his illness.

During his final months he was able to spend quality his time with his family, and never gave up his love for either the outdoors or golf. He still took walks at EKW with his children, and his greatest pleasure was playing on the home golf simulator given to him as a birthday present by the whole family. Weekly gatherings always included playing anywhere from 18 to 36 holes, and he also played over the internet with his son-in-law Joe several times a week. Hitting a great shot never ceased to bring a smile to his face, though his favorite shot was always the hole in one he hit on the fourth hole at the country club.

He was a wonderful husband, father and friend, a dedicated professional, an active community member and a funny, kind, intelligent man. He was preceded in death by his parents Russell and Alice Morton and his brothers Bob, Wayne, Gene and Bill. He is survived by his loving wife Shirley and children Jeff and Michele, their spouses Thea Morton and Joe Perko, his grandchildren Liam and Amelia Morton, and siblings Bud, Jewell, Betty, Roberta and Thomas. He was greatly loved and will be greatly missed by us all.

To leave a special message for Maurice's family, please click on the "Share Memories" button above.