Harold N. Morgan
North Stonington — Harold N. Morgan, husband of the late Hazel (Strong) Morgan, passed away peacefully Feb. 9, at Villa Maria Nursing Home in Plainfield. He was a lifelong resident of North Stonington, residing at 43 Pendleton Hill Road for almost 60 years.
Harold was born Jan. 14, 1921, in North Stonington, the son of William F. and Edith Louise (Merrill) Morgan. He grew up working on the family farm until after graduating from Wheeler High School in North Stonington and went to work for C. B. Cottrell & Sons Printing Presses in Westerly in the late 1930s. In the 1940s and 1950s, Harold was an avid motorcyclist on the road and in the woods, riding his Indian motorcycles; he was a member of the New London Motorcycle Club for many years and through the club, he met his wife, Hazel. In 1943, during World War II, he joined the Army Air Corps and because of his excellent mechanical abilities, was trained as a ground crew mechanic for the new B-29 Superfortress. He was stationed on Tinian Island in the Pacific Ocean and was on the ground crew first of “Big Wheel” and then “Heavenly Flower” until the end of the war in 1945. On his return to the states, he went back to work for Cottrell Printing Presses, where he worked for many years. After he left Cottrell’s, he worked for several other companies, his last being Posi-Seal (Fisher Controls), where he specialized in machine repair, until he retired in 1985. In the 1960s, Harold and his wife, Hazel, started hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. They led many trips with other family members into the mid 1970s. After retirement, Harold spent much of his time taking care of his old home and outbuildings at his residence. He loved to be outdoors, spending time cutting, splitting and stacking firewood to heat his home. For many years, he planted and maintained a very large vegetable garden. Harold loved all of his dogs; over the years, he had many dogs and would take great pleasure in having them outside with him “helping” him on his “jobs.” He also loved birds, taking time each morning on his daily walk to make sure they were fed at various places around his 9-acre property. Harold also was a patient teacher, spending many hours with his stepgrandsons, teaching them about auto mechanics, electricity, vegetable gardening and the like. Harold was known to be able to fix and repair just about anything and would often help others as well. Quite often when making a repair, he would have to check his stock department (AKA many boxes of stuff stored in his basement or barn) to see if he had what was needed to make the repair. If he couldn’t find what he needed, he would reverse-engineer it and make it on his lathe, milling machine, drill press, etc. Harold also enjoyed attending reunions of his Army Air Corps 9th Bomb Group. He and his wife traveled to many locations in the U.S. and as far away as Seattle, Wash., to attend a reunion. He was a member of the Masonic Coastal Lodge No. 57 in Stonington for over 50 years.
Harold is survived by his nieces, Judith (Morgan) Malavazos and her husband, George, and Joyce (Morgan) Elias and her husband, Charles, of North Stonington; nephews, Timothy I. Morgan and his wife, Marianne, of Westerly, and Elbert L. Morgan Jr. of North Stonington; a stepdaughter, Christine C. Gillis of Canton, N.C.; stepgranddaughter, Cheryl G. Murdock, and her husband, Terry, of Uncasville; stepgrandsons, Benjamin A. Gillis Jr. and his wife, Laurie, of Canton, N.C., and Harold M. Gillis and his wife, Cindy, of Griswold; five step-great-grandchildren; and one step-great-great-grandson.
Besides his beloved wife, Hazel, he was predeceased by his parents; and brothers, William F. Morgan Jr. and Elbert L. Morgan.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, at Buckler-Johnston Funeral Home, 121 Main St., Westerly. A calling hour will precede the funeral from 10 to 11 a.m. Burial will be in Union Cemetery, North Stonington, following the funeral.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the American Legion, 160 S. Broad St., Pawcatuck, CT 06379 and/or to the Villa Maria Nursing & Rehab, 20 Babcock Ave., Plainfield, CT 06374, which provided him with exceptional care and comfort for the last seven years of his life.
For online condolences, visit www.buckler-johnston.com.