November 07 1921 July 27 2019
Virgil’s Obituary Virgil Morgan, Sr. passed away July 27, 2019 at the age of 97 after a long and full life. Virgil was a fabulous storyteller: All who knew him got to hear stories. Some were of his childhood living in a two-room house in rural Snohomish county with no running water, electricity or telephone. Others relayed details of his years serving in World War II, sagas related to his long and successful career, or tales of his escapades with his wife, Irene, his three sons and his many friends. Virgil’s life itself was indeed a great story. Virgil was born in Cushing, Oklahoma on November 7, 1921. Along with his parents, Gilbert and Ella (Hibbard), and his younger sister, Marie, Virgil moved to Washington State as a young boy, settling four miles south of Arlington on a ten acre stump ranch. One of Virgil’s favorite stories is that he got good grades in school because his parents paid him 25 cents per A. He was clearly one of the smartest boys in his class at Arlington High School, reading every book in the school library, skipping a grade and graduating early. Virgil graduated from Aero Industries Technical Institute in 1939, completing the entire one-year training course in 6 months by attending both day and night schools in order to save money. He then embarked on a successful career in the aviation industry, working first at Consolidated Aircraft (now Lockheed Martin), then at Boeing in Seattle. Virgil became Boeing’s youngest lead man, working on B-29 wing design. His expertise resulted in a permanent deferral from the draft. Virgil married Irene Bemis in 1942, when he was 20 and she was 19, then volunteered for active duty in the United States Army Air Corps. After two years as an aviation cadet at Amarillo Army Airfield in Texas, he was stationed on Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands. He served as a flight engineer on B-17 and B-29 aircraft, participating in missions with the 6th Bomb Group from North Field, Tinian to Japan during World War II. Virgil flew 19 combat missions as a flight engineer, primarily on a B-29 called “Battling Betty.” He later served as the Board President of the Sixth Bomb Group Association and was one of the last surviving members. Virgil and Irene’s three sons were born during the 1940s. As Virgil was building his career, the family lived in various places around the northwest, eventually settling in Everett. Virgil bought his first plane so he could more easily commute to visit his sons’ grandparents, which further stoked his passion for flying. At present, he was the longest standing general aviation tenant at Paine Field Airport. Virgil and Irene founded Morgan Brothers of Everett in 1964, which was initially a heavy-duty truck dealership. Their complimentary business skills enabled them to grow a small company into an internationally respected business. Morgan Brothers began receiving contracts almost immediately from Boeing and became their major supplier of high capacity fuel trucks and innovative large load trucks and trailers. Morgan Brothers became Morgan Aero in 1991 and switched their focus to providing hoists for Boeing. They developed the Aerosafe hoist that is used by most major world airlines and the United States Air Force. Morgan Aero also became the exclusive oxygen cleaning contractor for Boeing, cleaning and packaging Boeing oxygen tube assemblies and flexible oxygen lines for many Boeing vendors. For several years, Virgil and Irene also operated the largest Aerostar Aircraft dealership in the US, based in Santa Ynez, California, with their son, Jerry. Virgil was fortunate that his main passion in life, aviation, was also his business. In his spare time, he loved to fly or work on his plane, flying well into his 80s. Until the end, he met regularly with other pilots, his long-time friends, every Saturday morning. Virgil and Irene also loved to travel, taking trips by plane, motorcycle and car all over the country, through most of Western Europe, and to Russia, China and other countries. At the age of 72, when many of his friends were already retired, Virgil, along with Irene, opened a brand-new facility for Morgan Aero near the Boeing plant in Everett. Virgil’s career flourished when he was in his 70s and 80s and even in his early 90s, when he could still take the stairs two steps at a time at Morgan Aero. In recent years, though his health was declining, Virgil still went to his office daily to be with his dedicated staff as they continued to run Morgan Aero. They loved and respected him and will miss him greatly. After Irene, his wife of 68 years, died in 2010, Virgil enjoyed the companionship of Nellie Wedler, until she passed away in 2017. Virgil was preceded in death by his parents, Gilbert and Emma Morgan, his wife, Irene Morgan, his sister, Marie Morgan, his son Gerald Morgan, his late-life companion, Nellie Wedler, his great-granddaughter, Sofia Grace Johnson, and his right-hand man at Morgan Aero for more than three decades, Roger Bell. He is survived by his two sons, Virgil Morgan Jr. and wife Mary, Joe Morgan and wife Penny, his daughter-in-law, Sandy Omer, his four granddaughters, Teri Johnson and husband Brian, Liz Lightfoot, Janelle Schreck and husband RC, Jennifer Morgan, and his grandson Greg Turner and wife, Jodi, and many other family members and close friends. One of Virgil’s greatest joys was living long enough to meet his great-grandchildren. They all loved hearing his stories over fish & chips at the Glacier Lanes Bowling Alley, and they did school projects on their great grandpa, the war hero and successful businessman. Virgil was a fabulous role model to Maxine, Alice, Ruby and Nathan. He was always proud to hear of their accomplishments and encouraged them to do their best. They, along with the rest of Virgil’s family and friends, will miss Virgil very much. A memorial gathering where family and friends will share stories of Virgil will be held on August 29th at Morgan Aero in Everett from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Memorial donations can be made at the event to The Virgil and Irene Morgan Foundation, which supports health and education for children and youth. Read More
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Virgil Morgan Sr November 07 1921 July 27 2019.
American Memorial Association Inc
Death notice for the town of: Tacoma, state: Washington