Wayne H. Morse

Wayne H. Morse, 88, of Sturbridge, passed away on July 28, 2008 at home after a brief illness, surrounded by his family. Wayne is survived by his wife of 60 years, Beverly B. Morse and two sons: Dale W. Morse and his companion Elizabeth Hutchings, and Gregory H. Morse and his wife Deborah of Sturbridge. He will also be greatly missed by his four grandchildren: several nieces and nephews, and extended family. Mr. Morse was predeceased by his parents, George H. Morse and Mildred (Hall) Morse; his two sisters: Shirley M. Gray and Barbara M. Russ.

Wayne worked for the Massachusetts Highway Department District # 3 in Worcester for 33 years as a Resident Civil Engineer. Throughout the years he worked on several large construction projects in the area, such as the realignment of Interstate 84 in Sturbridge and a segment of the I-190 / I-290 Interchange in Worcester.

He served as a consulting engineer to the Town of Sturbridge for 34 years and was deeply devoted to improving the Town's infrastructure. In addition, he ran a private engineering business with long time associates Donald Murray of North Brookfield and Richard DeFalco formally of Sturbridge.

For a brief period, he served as Head of the Maintenance Department at The Old Sturbridge Village. Wayne lived on the Village grounds briefly as a child and this position was a return to his New England roots. He loved gardening and caring for his farm animals throughout his lifetime.

He was a Navy Veteran of World War II and served on the local area Draft Board in Southbridge.

His funeral will be held at 10:00AM, Friday, Aug. 1st in the Belanger-Bullard Funeral Home, 51 Marcy St., Southbridge. Burial will follow in North Cemetery. Calling hours are 6:00PM to 8:00PM Thursday, July 31st, in the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to Sturbridge Federated Church, P.O. Box 193 Sturbridge, MA 01566 or Overlook Hospice Services, 88 Masonic Home Road, Charlton, MA 01507.

An on-line guestbook is available at:

BelangerFuneralHome.com