Resident of San Jose

While surrounded by family and friends, Morris passed peacefully in the comfort of his home in Almaden Valley.

Morris will be remembered as generous, optimistic, and kind. He loved to chat and make people laugh. He was a family man, always caring for his wife, children and grandchildren. He will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.

Morris is survived by his loving children, Jennifer Holmstrom and Jason Wood, and grandchildren, Mark Holmstrom, Alex Holmstrom, and James Wood.

Morris was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. As a teenager, he moved to San Jose, CA. He graduated from Santa Clara High School. He was drafted in 1956 and joined the US Army. He trained as a Sikorsky helicopter mechanic. In 1957, he joined a helicopter and light fixed wing squadron at Boscomantico in Verona, Italy.

Morris completed his service in June 1959, and attended San Jose State University, majoring in engineering. He worked hard as a carpenter to put himself through college. On July 16, 1960, Morris married his college sweetheart, Barbara Starr, in Carmel. They were married for 49 years before her passing in 2009.

Morris worked as a Sales Engineer at FMC, Solbern, and Illinois Tool Works. In 1998 he started his own business, California Packaging Machinery Sales. He loved the independence and flexibility of having his own business. He and Barbara went on many wonderful vacations together: cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean, visits to historical sites in the Eastern US, and tours of Europe.

As an engineer, Morris always found himself fixing things and implementing DIY projects around the house. Two of his greatest projects were completely remodeling his previous 1897 Victorian house and constructing a beautiful backyard gazebo for Barbara. His favorite hobbies were attending classical music concerts, gardening, collecting coins, and watching the 49ers.