Joseph William Morgan

Joseph William Morgan
January 31, 1940 - December 13, 2017
 
Joseph William Morgan, a direct descendant of Miller Morgan, Oregon Pioneer of 1847, passed away in his sleep on Wednesday morning, December 13, 2017 at his home in Albany, OR.  He was 77.
 
Joe was born in Lebanon, OR to Lowell Brandon Morgan and Daphne Moselle (Wilson) Morgan, and was their only child.  He lived in Vanport and Monmouth as a child before moving to Berkley, CA in 1947 and shortly thereafter to Sacramento, CA where he lived until he went to college in Corvallis, OR.  He attended El Camino High School and Sacramento State College in Sacramento and later graduated from Oregon State University in 1962 with a degree in Chemistry and Zoology.  He was a member of Delta Phi Omega fraternity.
 
He first worked as a Research Chemist for the U.S. Government at the USDA office in Corvallis, OR, then in 1967 fulfilled his dream of owning and operating the family’s ryegrass farm established by Miller Morgan in 1850 in Shedd, OR--Morgan Century Farms, Inc.  He operated the farm for over 20 years before retiring, but stayed involved in agriculture with a straw bailing operation until the mid-1990’s before officially “retiring.”  He lived on the “The Home Place” in Shedd from 1967 to 2016-49 years--before moving to Albany last year due to health reasons.
 
Joe married Virginia Grace Hubbard in 1962 but later divorced in 1979.  They had two children; Jon Brandon Morgan and Daniel Wilson Morgan.  Joe later married Cheryl Cochran in 1987 and the two remained married until his death.
 
Joe enjoyed both carpentry and had a life-long interest in restoring classic cars and hot rods, his last being the quintessential car of his era, a 1949 Mercury.  He was also particularly proud of a show winning 1915 Model T Speedster he had hand built.  He was a member of various antique car clubs over his life and one of the highlights of his life was attending and participating in the 21st annual International Vintage Car Rally which was held in New Zealand that year, driving a Ford Model T.
 
Joe was preceded in death by his father Lowell, in 1968 and mother Daphne, in 1992.
 
Joe is survived by his wife Cheryl, his two sons Jon and Dan, his step-children Ron, Robyn, Rob, and Steve, 12 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
 
No services are to be held although a casual Celebration of Life is planned for Sunday, January 14th from 1:30pm-4pm at the Brownsville Senior Center. A monument will be placed at the family plot in the Sand Ridge Cemetery outside of Lebanon, OR.