EJ Morgan

PAUL – Evera Junior “EJ” Morgan, age 92, returned to his Heavenly Father on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013. EJ was born the first of seven children to Evera Morgan and Zora Nebeker in Kimberly, Idaho, on Aug. 11, 1921. He graduated from Kimberly High School. He worked as a young man with his grandfather, Frank Nebeker, and his family on the Punkin Ranch north of Gooding, Idaho. He spent the majority of his life farming in Murtaugh, Idaho, on land that he took from sagebrush. He later worked as a partner in P & E Concrete in Twin Falls, Idaho. Three sisters and one brother survive him, Yvonne Prince of Kaysville, Utah, LaRue Prince of Mesa, Ariz., Joann Nebeker of Hazelton, Idaho, and Lee Morgan of Paul, Idaho. A brother, Eugene Morgan; a sister, Nadine Stanger; and his parents preceded him in death. EJ served in many civic organizations including the Murtaugh School Board, the Idaho Potato and Onion Commission, and the Boy Scouts of America where he served as president of the Snake River Council. He was part of the development committee of the Boy Scout’s Camp Bradley near Stanley, Idaho, and received the Silver Beaver Award. He enjoyed the outdoors and made a point of taking his sons to a different area in the wilderness of Idaho for sixteen years while they were growing up. EJ married Annie Marion Wilbur, whom he met in Camden, Maine, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on Aug. 15, 1944. They were blessed with seven children, all of whom survive him, Curtis Morgan (Kathleen) of Draper, Utah, Stephen Morgan (Candace) of Cave Creek, Ariz., Paul Morgan (Carol) of Twin Falls, Idaho, Marianne Belliston (Don) of Bountiful, Utah, Krista Kelsey (Allen) of Twin Falls, Idaho, Ellen Lee (Bill – deceased) of Fairview, Utah, and Zora Christensen (Brent) of Fort Collins, Colo. Annie preceded him in death on Feb. 2, 1964. He married Norma Crockett Larson on April 1, 1965, and brought five daughters into the family, Carole Barton (Dick) who preceded him in death, Kaye Hansen (Ken) of Bountiful, Utah, Pat Wursten (Leon) of River Heights, Utah, DeAnna Durham (Frank) of Twin Falls, Idaho, and Janice Crandall (Ted) of Pocatello, Idaho. They successfully bonded the two families into one and EJ enjoyed asking visitors to guess who were the Larsons and who were the Morgans. Norma preceded him in death on Oct. 16, 1994. EJ and Mary Merrill were married July 22, 1995, bringing six more children into the family, Judith Larsen (Sheril) of Sandy, Utah, Brenda Walquist (Ralph) of Paul, Idaho, Rulon Lee Merrill (Joyce) who preceded him in death, Peggy Henson (Jim) of Roseburg, Ore., Jill Maxwell of Sandy, Utah, and Joan Cluff (Eric) of Orem, Utah. The unity continued through this marriage as Dad and our Moms combined all three families into a family. He was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all of his life. He served a full-time mission in the New England States Mission from 1942 to 1943, and later served two couple missions to Thousand Oaks, Calif., from 1977 to 1978 with Norma, and to the London England LDS Temple from 2001 to 2002 with Mary. He served in many callings in the Church throughout his life, including branch president, bishop, counselor in a stake presidency, and stake patriarch. He moved his young family of seven children to Desoto, Ga., for two years in the early 1960s to manage the Church’s cattle ranch there, and became a cowboy. In all, EJ had 92 grandchildren; 237 great-grandchildren; and 21 great-great-grandchildren. Nine grandchildren are currently serving full-time missions. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11, at the Paul LDS Stake Center, 424 W. Ellis St., in Paul, with Bishop Shannon Brown officiating. A graveside service will follow at 3 p.m. at Sunset Memorial Park, 2296 Kimberly Rd., in Twin Falls.

Friends may call from 5 until 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, and from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m. Monday at the church.