Area Obituaries - Billy (Bill) M. Morris, Ph.D.

Billy (Bill) M. Morris, Ph.D. (85) of Mt. Pleasant, SC passed away peacefully with family by his side on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Born October 8, 1938, in Fulton, KY, he was the son of the late L.J. “Jack” Morris and Mary Louise Hawks Morris.

A brilliant physicist, Bill attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned his Bachelors (1961), Masters (1962) and Ph.D. (1966) in Physics. After teaching for many years, he became a Nuclear Physicist, working for The Savannah River Laboratory in Aiken, SC and later at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, MD from which he retired in 1998. Upon his retirement, he moved with his wife Laura to Mt. Pleasant, SC to be near his girls and their growing families.

Bill was a longtime and devoted member of the Unitarian Church in Charleston, he was an active member of the Men’s Club and a founding member of the “Coffee House”, which raised funds for after-school programs, enhanced learning and STEM activities/field trips for children in Charleston.

Bill enjoyed playing tennis, listening to music, traveling and watching sports (especially sharing a love of the St. Louis Cardinals with his sister Kay). Bill had a great sense of humor. He will always be remembered for telling his “dumb jokes” and making up silly songs and ghost stories. By friends, he is described as “a wonderful, gentle, kind man who, although quiet, enriched the lives of all who knew him”. Most of all, he loved being with his family and was especially generous with his time for his 5 grandchildren, often traveling late into the night to catch one of them playing football, baseball, basketball or lacrosse.

Bill is preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Laura Lee Steakley Morris. He is survived by his daughters Cindy Holmes (Ronnie Beasley) of Mt. Pleasant, SC and Kathy Adams (Graham) of Chapin, SC; his sister Kay Walton of Paris, TN; his five grandchildren, Richie Turner and Frankie Holmes of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Garrett Adams, Ethan Adams and Lauren Adams of Chapin, SC; and many beloved friends, in-laws, nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the caring staff of Agape Hospice and the Adria unit of The Heritage at Lowman in Chapin, SC for the kind and compassionate care they provided over the past few months.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at The Boathouse at Breach Inlet, Isle of Palms, SC from 11am until 1pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Unitarian Church in Charleston (www.charlestonuu.org/ways-to-give) or the Parkinson’s Foundation of the Carolinas (www.parkinson.org/carolinas).

A memorial message may be sent to the family on our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.