Loretta H. Morgan

March 31, 1928 – October 5, 2024
Loretta H. Morgan, 96, of Silver Spring, MD, passed away peacefully at Brooke Grove Assisted Living on October 5, 2024. She was the cherished wife of the late Carroll E. Morgan (Bud), and is lovingly remembered by her children, Dawn Morgan Praske (Steve) and Brett R. Morgan (Linda Thane Morgan). Loretta is also survived by her grandchildren, Rob Morgan, Katie Morgan (Chris Bing), Tommy Morgan, Lauren Praske Rothermel (Jon), Matt Praske (Caroline Cassidy) as well as her treasured great-grandchildren, Andrew, Evan, Maren, and Luke.
Born in Hagerstown MD, Loretta was a woman of remarkable talent and creativity. She began her lifelong passion for design and sewing at an early age, crafting her own clothes and mastering the art of sewing. As a teenager, she wrote a popular fashion advice column for the Hagerstown Daily Mail, featuring her own sketches as well as offering guidance in a sewing column for beginners.
In 1947, at the age of 19, Loretta made history as the first-ever Miss Hagerstown. She also served as the Queen of the Mummer's Halloween Parade and was a runner-up in the Miss Maryland competition that same year.
A graduate of the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts (now known as the Maryland Institute College of Art), Loretta completed a degree in Costume Design. Her final project was the design and creation of her own wedding gown, trousseau, and bridesmaid dresses, showcasing her exceptional talent.
Throughout her life, Loretta pursued her passion for design with unparalleled dedication. She worked for a renowned modeling school in Baltimore, where one of her sketched designs was adopted as the school's logo and used for over 25 years. She also worked as a model and designer for a leading clothing manufacturer and contributed sketches for their advertisements.
After leaving the Maryland Institute, Loretta's creative pursuits expanded to include oil painting, a passion she nurtured from the age of 22 and continued for the rest of her life. As a mother, she balanced painting with her growing love of golf, a hobby that soon rivaled her artistic endeavors. In her later years, she began creating elegant Christmas decorations, which delighted her family and friends. A few of these were sold to a major department store, and it is rumored that one of her Christmas kings made its way to the White House.
Loretta and Bud lived in Baltimore after they married. When Bud became an executive with C&P Telephone Co., they moved to Potomac MD in 1974. During this time, they were members of Bethesda Country Club where Loretta served on golf committees and was a member of BCC's Women's District golf team. Following the passing of Bud, Loretta moved to Leisure World in Silver Spring, MD, where she became deeply involved in the local arts community. She joined three different art associations and received numerous awards, many from juried art shows. Loretta was also active in golf and bridge and thrived in the community for nearly 20 years.
Loretta will be remembered as a talented, kind-hearted, and generous woman who brought joy and beauty to the lives of everyone she met. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and friend who will be dearly missed.
A private service was held in November, and Loretta and Bud were interred in St. Gabriel Cemetery in Potomac. Donations can be made in her memory to Montgomery Hospice or the Brooke Grove Foundation.