Charles E. Morse

Charles “Charlie” Edwin Morse, was born in Platteville, WI on Nov. 24, 1934. Charlie entered eternal rest on June 27, 2017 at the age of 82. At the ripe age of 13, in order to help with family finances, Charlie left home to work as a hired hand for a local farmer, Otto Wisco; one of Charlie's early mentors. Otto instilled in him a strong work ethic. The manual labor of farm work and milking cows lent to his strong grip which remained until his last days. At age 19, he enlisted in the Air Force which saw him journey to Greenland, the first of several overseas trips while in the service. Despite rising to the rank of Staff Sargent, he left the Air Force after nine years of service. However, while in the Air Force one of the greatest events in Charlie's life occurred when he was transferred to San Antonio, Texas and met the love of his life – Beatrice. Bea and Charlie married on July 27, 1957 and subsequently enjoyed 59 years of marriage. Realizing he may be better suited for service in the Army, he enlisted in 1962, and began an 11 year career as an Army man. While in his beloved Army, he rose from the ranks of an enlisted man to Chief Warrant Officer 2. During his Army tenure, he deployed to Vietnam for two tours of duty and later to Korea. His first tour to Vietnam was with the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAGG) as a military adviser and later during his second tour with the 135th Aviation Group. He saw combat action in Vietnam and like most veterans, the traumatic experiences he encountered were difficult to erase and cast aside. He lost several friends in Vietnam and shared his war experiences with few individuals. Among his service commendations from his Vietnam experience include: the National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf cluster, Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze service stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Air Assault Badge, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea). He retired from the Army on Dec. 31, 1973 with total active duty (Air Force and Army) of 20 years, 2 months, and 14 days. His education included an Associates Degree from Central Texas College in General Education in 1974 and a Bachelor of Science Degree from American Technological University in 1976. In civilian life, he worked at a number of different jobs, usually related to the field of mechanics. He ran machine shops in Burnet and Lampasas and also worked for Design Foods in Lampasas. He officially retired from civilian employment in 1996. After retirement he enjoyed hunting and fishing and loved going to South Texas on dove and deer hunting trips. He was also a member of the American Legion Post 277. In his later years he enjoyed traveling with his wife Bea to visit his children and grandchildren in Texas and family and friends in Wisconsin. In his attempts to exercise his demons from the war, he relied on family, friends, and most importantly the grace of God. Charlie turned his life over to the Lord and became a servant of God. He was an active member of Kempner Baptist Church and also served as a Deacon of that church for many years. He recently was an active member of First Presbyterian Church and became an Elder of this church. His church family was of great importance to him and he loved serving the Lord in many ways. Among his greatest achievements was the fact he celebrated 40 years of sobriety and was actively involved in the local chapter of AA. Charlie loved God, his family, and his country. He was a “man among men.” He could be hard as nails but also compassionate and fair. He can never be replaced. He will be sorely missed by many. Charlie is survived by his wife, Bea of Lampasas; son Michael Morse and wife Cayce, son Charles Edwin Morse Jr. and wife Liz, and daughter Maureen Ekrut and husband Kerry. He was also blessed with eight grandchildren; Holli Williams, Cole Morse, Logan Morse, Olivia Morse, Sophie Morse, Abbey Ekrut, Savannah Ekrut, and Ethan Ekrut; two great grandchildren Emmeline and Benjamin Williams; two brothers Roger Morse and Jim Morse, and one sister Dorothy Kenny. The oldest of five children, Charlie was preceded in death by his parents and youngest sister Ethel. Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Lampasas, with visitation at 10:00 a.m. A graveside service with full military honors will be held on Friday, July 14, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, TX. In lieu of flowers, donations in Charlie's memory may be made to Lampasas Mission, 910 E. 4th St., P.O. Box 51, Lampasas, TX 76550.