Richard S. Morris ’67

Richard “Dick” S. Morris Sr., of Westport Island, Maine, passed away with his family by his side, on October 11, 2017. He was born in Bath on April 27, 1944, a son of A. Stanley and Marjolaine Morris. Dick was originally from Wiscasset, Maine and graduated from Wiscasset High School and went on to earn his degree as an Engineer from Maine Maritime Academy and Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserves. As a Merchant Marine, he shipped all over the world for almost 10 years. He often said he had been to almost every port in the world. On September 2, 1967, he married the love of his life, Donna L. Galuza at St. Mary’s Church in Bath, Maine. As his family began to grow, Dick came ashore and landed at Maine Yankee as a Nuclear Engineer in the 1970’s. He was not there long before following the Morris family heritage of starting his own business. Maine- Land Enterprises was his flagship. He earned all of his mechanical contract licenses as a master of electrical, plumbing, heating to solar, wind, gas and more. An absolutely brilliant man who’s tenacity brought every vision to fruition.

Richard was always on an adventure. He was a model Eagle Scout from childhood to teaching Scout Masters throughout most of his adult life. He was an expert survivalist and taught those skills to folks of all ages. He was a wealth of information. Just following him for a leisurely walk in the woods would turn into a classroom. You could learn about what plants were good to eat, how to build a fire and shelter with what you had around you, and the basics of wilderness survival. He also loved to demonstrate Dutch Oven cooking. He could cook anything in those ovens that you could cook in a 5-star restaurant, sometimes as much as 50 ovens at a time and 8 ovens high.

Richard was also a National Rifle Association (NRA) endorsed firearms instructor. Among teaching courses in fire arm safety, he was an expert marksman and taught self-defense to many. As a life time member of the Lincoln County Rifle Club, he enjoyed target practicing with his friends and family as well as traveling to different meets all over the State of Maine, earning him several awards in competition shooting. He earned the awe and respect of others by being able to shoot from 50 to 300 yards. Very impressive.

He truly loved the outdoors and helping others. He was an avid sportsman and could often be found camping and hunting as well as simply sitting with the love of his life, Donna, whom he nicknamed “Troubles”, just taking in the splendors of nature. He lived by the philosophy of “work hard, play hard and love until it hurts.” He believed family and friends were all his family and treated them as such. He loved spending time at his camp on Shin Pond, Maine and found peace in nature. He respected the Native American beliefs and had a passion for learning and teaching others how to live off the land. He was larger than life and we have faith that he is the wind in the trees and the light in each rays of sun that warms all the places he loved.

Richard is survived by his wife and soul mate of 50 years, Donna L. Morris, his daughter Shannen L. Morris, his son Richard S. Morris Jr. and wife Lorraine Morris, along with his 3 grandchildren Declin, Desmond, and Theron Morris. He also leaves behind his two sisters Sharon Simpson and Katheryn King, as well as 2 aunts and many nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind his best friend Gerry and Lisa Stark of Lisbon Falls who were like a brother and sister to him, as well as Neville “Tony” A. Griffiths, who was like a son to him, and numerous family (friends) he loved dearly. He will be sadly missed and Heaven just got a lot more interesting!

A memorial to celebrate his life will be held at Riverside Cemetery in Woolwich, Maine at 11 am on October 22, 2017. Donations can be made in his name to The National Stroke Association and the National Rifle Association (NRA).