Joseph Howard Morris

Birth: December 16, 1922 | Died: August 23, 2021

Joe Morris, beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away suddenly on August 23, 2021. He was active right up until the end and he was surrounded by his family as he passed peacefully into God’s arms. He was 98 years old. He was born on December 16, 1922 in the city of Treharris, county of Merthyr Tidfil, South Wales. He was the fourth child born to Robert Thomas and Mary Ann Morris, and he was the last to join his family in heaven. Joe immigrated to the United States on July 27, 1927 and his family settled in Andrew, Illinois. Joe graduated as the Senior Class President at Williamsville High in 1941. Following high school, Joe moved to Long Beach, California to live with his older brother and he attended Citrus Junior College, earning his Associate’s Degree in 1943. While he planned to continue his education, he was called to serve in WWII and he joined the Army in July 1943. He was a clerk-typist and sharp shooter, stationed at Fort Sam Houston and was honorably discharged in July 1946. After his service, he returned to Long Beach and began working for Southern California Edison, ultimately as a lineman. In 1948 while working at Edison, he became a Mason. In 1953 Joe met his future wife Anne, a Physical Therapist and they married in June 1954. They were married for 57 years until Anne’s passing in 2011. They had only child, a daughter named Tanya.

In 1961 Joe began his career with the City of Anaheim. Initially he worked as a lineman with the City’s Public Utilities but just prior to the opening of Anaheim Stadium in 1966, he transferred to Facilities Maintenance and this was to be his true calling. Joe took great pride in managing the maintenance crews at both the Anaheim Stadium and the Anaheim Convention Center, plus he oversaw maintenance at the Anaheim Hills and Dad Miller Golf Courses. During his 30 plus years in this role, he was involved in the expansion of the stadium, making it home to the Angels and Rams as well as oversight for three expansions of the Anaheim Convention Center. He was also proud to work during the wrestling events of the 1984 Olympics, held in Anaheim.

As early as his teens, others recognized that Joe was a leader and born with the gift of kindness, compassion, and making friends. He was a man of integrity and would go out of his way to help others. He loved “Dad” jokes and was often called upon to share his jokes. He loved baseball, especially Angels Baseball, and he was so excited to have been able to attend one of their World Series games in 2002. During the last ten years of his life, he loved living at the Senior Living Community in Yorba Linda and enjoyed playing bingo and poker almost daily, and being an active participant in all field trips and residential event activities.

Joe is survived by his daughter Tanya and husband Frank, his granddaughters Stephanie Quesada and her husband Kevin, Kimberly La Soya, and Katie La Soya, great-granddaughter Ariana and numerous nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. They will miss his laughter, twinkling eyes, and wonderful sense of humor. He will be buried alongside his wife at the Cathedral Memorial Gardens in Garden Grove, California. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to support the American Diabetes Association (https://www.diabetes.org/ ) or to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital (https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/giving).