John Clarence Morgan

1925 - 2010

John Clarence Morgan 85, peacefully passed away on August 28, 2010 after a long illness.

He was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania, on March 5,1925. Son of David and Jenny Hughes Morgan, he was the youngest of five children. As a boy he built and repaired radios, sang in his church choir, and was involved with Welsh community activities.

In 1943, while a senior in high school, John was drafted into the U.S. Army. His mother attended his graduation ceremony and accepted his diploma on his behalf while he served his country overseas. John's military postings were primarily in Europe. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge, and as World War II drew to a close, he spent time in newly-liberated France helping rebuild that country's infrastructure.

Following an honorable discharge from the Army in 1945, John returned to Pennsylvania and enrolled in Lehigh University. He became a member of Lehigh's varsity wrestling team, and received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in 1949. Upon graduating from Lehigh, John married Margaret Helen Duenger and embarked on a long and successful career in engineering. He specialized in analysis and design of both weapons and command and control systems, completed university graduate programs, published numerous articles and white papers, and belonged to several professional associations. His employers included Boeing, IBM, General Motors, and Litton, in such locations as Washington, New York, Florida, and Michigan.

During this time he and his wife were blessed with five children, and the family settled in Thousand Oaks in 1966. While a resident of Thousand Oaks, as he continued his engineering career, John volunteered for several years as a Little League coach, and was a member and officer of the Santa Barbara Welsh Club. At various times he was a member of tile choirs of St. Paschal Church in Thousand Oaks, Holy Cross Church in Moorpark, and St. Columba Church in Camarillo; he also sang with The Village Voices of Westlake.

John's wife Margaret died in 1989, and he married Shirley Beecher Randall in 1993. Following his retirement in 1995 he obtained an Amateur Radio license and enjoyed being a ham radio operator. He also enjoyed traveling to such destinations as Wales, Italy, France, and Alaska, and frequently visited relatives and attended class reunions on the east coast. He and his wife moved from Thousand Oaks to Camarillo in 2000.

He leaves his wife, Shirley; children Ellen Morgan Lones of Hollis, New Hampshire, Richard Morgan of Roseville, California, Jennifer Morgan of Van Nuys, California, Thomas Morgan of Thousand Oaks, California, and William Morgan of Englewood, Colorado; stepchildren Rhonda Power of Camarillo, California, Robin Beecher of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, Randall Beecher of Denver, Colorado, and Michael Beecher of San Jose, California; 12 grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Dr. Chang and his staff, Dr. Rothchild and Dr. Patel for their help and care.

Special thanks to Frank, Donnie and Josey for their excellent care at Waverly House.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on September 7, at St. Columba Episcopal Church, 1251 Las Posas Rd., Camarillo, CA 93010. Interment will follow at Pierce Bros Valley Oaks. In lieu of flowers send donations to "Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund" P.O. Box 3968, Gaithersburg MD 20885-3968 or www.cfsrf.org Donations may also be made to your favorite charity in memory of John.

Arrangements under the direction of Griffin Family Funeral Chapels Camarillo; 482-1166.