Morris Wallace

Morris Gene Wallace, 85, passed away Monday, December 12, 2022, at The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Funeral services will be held at 2:00pm, Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at Waco Memorial Park Mausoleum Chapel in Waco, Texas with burial to follow at Waco Memorial Park. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service, at 1:00pm.

Morris was born December 16, 1936, in Brownwood, Texas to William and Ruth (Holcomb) Wallace.He grew up in Whon, Texas. After finishing high school, he was drafted into the Army National Guard at the Fort Sill Army Base in Oklahoma. Following his National Guard tour, Morris became an instructor, teaching electronics at Fort Sill through the Civil Service. Afterwards, he began working for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Management Training School and served in this position for 35 years. He earned the Civil Service rank of GS-13.

Morris served as a deacon at the First Baptist Church of Lawton, Oklahoma and at the First Baptist Church of Palm Coast, Florida. He served as the chairman of deacons at both organizations. Morris served on the board of the Florida Baptist Children’s Home.  In September of 2022, surrounded by family, friends, and the congregation, Morris was recognized at a dedication ceremony at the Palm Coast, FL Baptist Church. At this ceremony, it was announced that the new addition to the education building would be named the “Wallace Education Building” in his honor.

He married his bride, Linda Rose McCarter, in 1954 and were happily married for 68 years. They went on to have three sons: Charlie, Gordon, and Mike. Morris enjoyed building model airplanes and working with electronics.  He ran the very first color-television camera at the Temple Television Station in Temple, Texas. He was an integral part of a group working on the initial design for the global positioning system (GPS) while employed at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Morris was preceded in death by his father and mother, William and Ruth Wallace; sister, Billie Stephenson; and son, Charlie Wallace.

He is survived by his wife, Linda Rose Wallace; daughter-in-law, Tammy Wallace; sons, Gordon Wallace and wife, Patty and Mike Wallace and wife, Heather; sister, Nelda Brink and husband, Benny; 12 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives