Jimmie Lathon Morris

VANCEBORO - Jimmie Lathon Morris, 78, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010. The funeral service will be conducted on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the West Vanceboro Church of God, Hwy 43 North of Vanceboro, officiated by the Rev. Marty Warren, Pastor of the Holly Hill Pentecostal Holiness Church. Burial will follow in the Holly Hill Cemetery.
Jimmie was born on June 19, 1932, to Lathon and Maggie Jones Morris and lived in the Piney Neck and Vanceboro areas throughout his lifetime. In 1952, Jimmie graduated from Farm Life High School in Vanceboro, and on April 9, 1954, married Janice Marlene Morris. He was drafted into the United States Army in October 1954, and served in South Korea, returning home in October 1956. Jimmie was a licensed general contractor. He co-founded Jimmie L. & Thomas H. Morris, Inc., a building construction company, in 1960. In the late 1960's, he founded a land excavating business, Jimmie L. Morris & Sons, Inc.
Jimmie's service to his community spans a 50-year time period and includes Holly Hill Pentecostal Holiness Church, Board of Directors of the Youth Outreach Center Home for Troubled Youth, Board of Directors of the Falcon Children's Home, Vanceboro Rural Volunteer Fire Department, Town of Vanceboro, Craven County Democratic Party, Vanceboro Rotary Club, Wachovia Bank Board of Directors, New Bern-Craven County Chamber of Commerce, Craven County Committee of 100, Earth Resources Council, Craven Community College Foundation Board of Directors, Craven Regional Medical Center Board of Directors, Vanceboro Medical Center Board of Directors, Gideons International, Boy Scouts of America, and Troop Committee for Boy Scout Troop #58.
In 1991, Jimmie was awarded the Outstanding Municipal Official Award by the Neuse River Council of Governments. In 1997, he was distinguished as a Paul Harris Fellow, and in 2008, Governor Easley appointed Jimmie Ambassador Extraordinary in the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in recognition of his lifetime service. Jimmie Lathon Morris served his country, his community, and his family his entire life and found service to others to be what he enjoyed most in life. Jimmie's hobbies included fishing and spending time at his Bay River home, wood working, and collecting antique farm equipment.
Jimmie is survived by his wife, Janice M. Morris; daughter, Sharon Bland and husband, Shade; sons, Perry Lathon and wife, Gwendolyn, and Terry Douglas and wife, Allison; grandchildren, Clement Morris and wife, Alicia, Katherine, Justin and Natalie Morris; great-grandchildren, Lathon McNeil Morris, and Colton Lee Morris; brothers, Curtis Morris and wife, Myrtle, and Dean Morris and wife, Carol; sisters, Linda Thomas and husband, Joseph, Peggie Mills and husband, Creed, and Gloria Williams and husband, Duane; aunt, Wealthy Brinkley; brother in-law, Hubert A. Morris, Jr. and wife, Glenda; sister in-law, Joyce Shaw and husband, Larry.
Jimmie leaves behind a host of nieces and nephews, cousins and good friends, and very special caretakers, Dr. Sandhu, Mary Staton Campbell, Ruth Craig, Vickie White Richardson, and Linda Eubanks.
The family will receive friends today from 5 to 8 p.m. at Wilkerson Funeral Home in Vanceboro, and other times at the home, 207 Vance St., Vanceboro.
Those wishing to memorialize Jimmie are asked to consider the Holly Hill Pentecostal Holiness Church Building Fund, c/o Peggie Mills, PO Box 523, Vanceboro, NC 28586.
Online condolences at www.wilkersonfuneralhome.com.