Michael H. Morris
July 2, 1948 - November 27, 2018
MICHAEL H. MORRIS died of cancer on November 27, 2018. Mike was born on July 2, 1948 in Battle Creek, Michigan, the son of Roy H. and Irene A. Morris. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in 1970 and his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1974. Mike practiced law in St. Joseph, Michigan for several years before moving to the Bay Area. He was in corporate law for almost 30 years and retired from Sun Microsystems where he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, overseeing legal activities globally for Sun.
He was an avid reader with particular interest in world history and biographies of business and world leaders. Mike loved sports and was a loyal fan of the Detroit Tigers, Lions and Red Wings. He also followed the Northwestern University Wildcats and the University of Michigan Wolverines football teams-his alma maters. Mike was a music lover with his favorites being the Beatles, Steely Dan, the big band sound and Frank Sinatra. In addition to being a brilliant lawyer, Mike was fun loving with a quick wit and incredibly generous to his family and many friends. He adored a dog named Stephanie Vanderkellen.
Mike is survived by his partner Richard Blinkal of Los Altos Hills, California, brother Tedd Morris of Stevensville, Michigan, sister Deborah Morris of St. Joseph, Michigan, and sister-in-law Linda Peckham of Lansing, Michigan (widow of deceased brother Robert). Mike is also survived by niece Blythe Morris Yee (Edmond and their sons Bennett and Maverick), nephews R. Scott Morris (Jeananne), Andrew Morris, Kyle Morris (Conni and their son Mace), and Jeremy Yingst (Amanda and their children Madeline and Marshall). A gathering of family and friends to celebrate Mike’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following organizations: LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund (lambdalegal.org), Human Rights Campaign Foundation of Washington, DC (give.hrc.org) or Cancer Research Institute (cancerresearch.org). Messages of condolences may be posted at http://www.legacy.com/