Marvin Allie Morris

Marvin Allie Morris, known as Pete, was born April 30, 1932, in Kaw County, Oklahoma. He was born to Flossie Pearl Southard and Marvin DeWitt Morris. His father died when he was only a year and a half old. Flossie Pearl later married Clifton Baker, who gave him the nickname Pete—a name that stayed with him his entire life. He grew up with two stepbrothers, one stepsister, and five half-sisters. Pete married Geneva Ruth Simpson in Collin County, McKinney, Texas, on December 26, 1951. Pete served in the Navy from April 5, 1951, to November 16, 1954. He served during the Korean Conflict and was a member of the Seabees, where he managed the Hobby Shop Garage in Newfoundland. He retired at the rank of CM2. After his service, Pete and Ruth moved to Houston, Texas, where Pete attended the University of Houston. They started a family, and Pete joined the Houston Police Department on March 1, 1956. He retired from the Police Department on May 16, 1980. He then went into the oil tool business for several years. Pete and Ruth also owned and operated Tem-Ty Burger, a hamburger shop, for 10 years while he was serving on the Police Department. Pete loved farming and never stopped being involved in planting and raising a garden. He taught all of his grandchildren to work the fields. He was best known for his tomato farming and had up to 6,000 tomato plants each year. Texas A&M used his farm as a field trip location for those studying farming. He planted his last garden when he was ninety-one years old. Pete loved fishing and spent the last 12 years living on Lake Conroe, where he could drive his golf cart across the street and fish off the pier.

He is survived by his sister, Janice Powell, his four children, sixteen grandchildren, and twenty-seven great-grandchildren.