John Lee Morris
June 11, 1924 - May 16, 2023
Charlotte, North Carolina - Mr. John Lee Morris, age 98, passed away peacefully on May 16, 2023, at Sharon Towers in Charlotte, NC. The son of the late Dorothy and Marion Morris, Lee was born June 11, 1924 in Chester, PA and grew up in Augusta, GA, where he graduated from Richmond Academy High School. Lee received a B.A. in Journalism from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and served on active duty with the U.S. Army from February of 1943 through November of 1945. Lee saw action in World War II in the European Theater of Operation and retired as Lt. Colonel from the U.S. Army Reserves in June of 1972.
After graduation from Emory, Lee began his career with Cox Broadcasting where he was employed for over forty years. He retired from Cox as Vice President and General Manager of WSOC AM and FM Radio in Charlotte in June of 1989. Lee then joined the staff of AAA Carolinas, retiring in 1994 as the Managing Director of Communications.
Active in civic and community affairs, Lee served as President of the Rotary Club of Charlotte, the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters, the Charlotte Sales and Marketing Executives, the Advertising Club of Charlotte, and the Charlotte Senior Forum. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, the Science Museums of Charlotte, the Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Travel Council of North Carolina. The state of North Carolina awarded Lee the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in recognition of his outstanding service to broadcasting.
Lee was very active in Myers Park United Methodist Church where he was a member of and taught a Sunday School class for thirty-eight years. He also served as Chairman of the Council of Ministries, the Stewardship Commission, the Commission on Education, the Commission on Evangelism, and Adults Plus. In addition, he served as a member of the Commission on Local Outreach, the Staff Parish Committee, and the Administrative Board. Lee served as a Church Lay Leader and on the Board of Directors for the Bethlehem Center of Charlotte, the Shepherd's Center of Charlotte, and Sharon Towers, where he was a resident for twenty years.
Lee and his wife of seventy-four years, Anne, enjoyed travelling to exciting locations around the world during their active years.
Lee was preceded in death by his wife, Anne Broach Morris, and is survived by their four children: John Lee Morris, Jr. and his wife, Lisa, and their children, Connor and Jordan; Jenay Morris Watry, her children, Emily and her husband Will, and Ryan and his wife, Jamie; Melodie Morris Palmer; Jody Glenn Morris and his wife, Kirsten, and their children, Lillian and Gibson. Lee is also survived by three great-grandchildren: Clara, Eloise, and Opal Baldwin and by his sister Barbara Niehuss and her husband Orian Niehuss of Cincinatti, Ohio.
A memorial service to celebrate Lee's life will be held at Myers Park United Methodist Church on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. with the Reverend Bill Roth officiating. The service will also be livestreamed at https://boxcast.tv/view/a-service-in-loving-memory-of-lee-morris-jeab5btvhuhydypomv5x. The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service at Jubilee Hall at Myers Park United Methodist Church. Private interment for immediate family will precede the service at Forest Lawn East Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207 ( https://myersparkumc.org/) or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 (https://pancan.org
The family wishes to sincerely thank all of Lee's caregivers at Sharon Towers for their selfless dedication to his care, especially these last few months.
Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC; 28204 (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.