Obituary of Gary George Morton

Obituary It is with a heavy heart that I let you know that the love of my life passed away. It’s no dad joke, our beloved dad has passed. After a brief, but courageous battle with cancer, our hero, Gary George Morton, age 69, has joined his dad in the great barbershop chorus in the sky. Known for his incredible sense of humour, that left us laughing (even amongst tears) until the very end. Our loved husband, dad, grandpa, & brother passed away surrounded by his family on January 26, 2019 at Brantford General Hospital. Loved now, forever and always by his wife of 48 years, Jean Morton. Daughter Angie Morton-Locke and her husband Dan Locke, Son Brent Morton and his wife Trish Morton. Loving and goofy grandpa to Brennah Morton and Samantha O’Neill. Survived by his brother Wayne (Jo-Anne) Morton, nephew Shawn (Angela) Morton, niece Alicia “Florida travel survivor” (Brian Slatten) Morton, uncle Ray Walker, and several cousins and large extended family. Predeceased by his father, William (Bill) Morton and mother June Morton (nee Francis). Starting out as a plumber/gas fitter, he worked his way to finish his career as a ‘Maintenance General Supervisor - Final Assembly’ for the Ford Motor Company in St. Thomas until his retirement. Born, and having lived most of his life in St. Thomas, he and mom retired to, mostly sunny and warm, Englewood Florida for winters in 2014; living the dream! They have summered in their “little piece of heaven”, Harmony Ranch, for many years. Dad had many thrill raising hobbies over the years, starting out with Enduro motorcycles, then motocross before moving into the adrenaline pumping sports of bowling and finally shuffleboard. In fact, he and mom run the local shuffleboard group in Florida. Gary also had non-contact hobbies, starting with Scouting as a young man, eventually becoming a Scout leader. He then joined his dad singing barbershop. For over 38 years he has been a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society (nee S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A), which is honestly more of a life-style than a hobby. This hobby allowed Gary & I to travel all over the world including England, China and Germany where he was able to sing with his son and/or daughter. He has been a member of numerous quartets over that time, at least 8 that we can remember. Of note are Flashback and Cultofour which he shared with his son Brent and Potluck whom he had the incredible pleasure of singing on the International stage with 3 times, winning the Ontario District Seniors Championship in 2012. He has been a member of 5 different chorus in that time and is currently a proud member of Lemon Bay Chord Company and Baldwin Blend (which he would proudly tell you his daughter Angie was instrumental in founding). He has held almost every chapter officer position including chapter president of 2 chapters in 2 different countries. He was also awarded Chapter Barbershopper of the Year on 3 different occasions and the President's Award from Lemon Bay Chord Company. Gary and I travelled all over North America on our motorcycle. We have been in every province in Canada except Newfoundland and every connected state in the United States. What a way to see the country. Our new adventure was just starting where we were touring the country in a new red mustang convertible. Thanks for the memories Visitation will be held at the Shawn Jackson Funeral Home, 31 Elgin Street, St. Thomas (519-631-0570) on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 from 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held in the chapel at 1:00 p.m. A private family interment will be held at Elmdale Memorial Park Cemetery. Donations, in lieu of flowers, can be made to Lung Cancer Canada or a charity of your choice. Personal condolences to the family can be made at www.sjfh.ca Come help us celebrate Gary’s joy of life in your brightest clothes! To send flowers to Gary's family, please visit our floral section.