Charles (Charlie) Lewis Morris, 95, of Mt. Vernon, IL, went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on 26 April 2026.  His oldest son Lee was at his side when he passed.  Charlie began his earthly journey on 14 February 1931 in Asheville, NC.  He grew up on a dairy farm in West Asheville, was a popular student-athlete in high school and an avid baseball player, attended Berea College in eastern Kentucky for one year (a school for Appalachian youth that was always close to his heart), and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.  Charlie earned promotion to Tech Sergeant in four years and then served as an Air Force reserve officer for twenty years, retiring as a Major in 1972.

Charlie married the love of his life, Eloise, in February 1955.  Together they moved to Waco, Texas where Charlie worked for General Tire as the personnel manager and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in economics at Baylor University. After a one-year stint at a General plant in Charlotte, NC, he and his young family moved to Illinois in 1972.  Charlie was the executive who recommended Mt. Vernon as the site for the newest General Tire (later Continental) tire manufacturing plant.  As personnel manager, over the years he interviewed thousands of new employees hired at the factory.  Later, for a period of ten years, he served as the training manager at Inland Steel Coal Mine in Sesser, Illinois, before returning to General Tire as training manager where he retired in 1994.

Charlie was a wonderful Christian, husband, father, and friend.  He served for decades as a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Park Avenue Baptist Church, acted in retirement as Executive Director of SIMPACT, Inc. (a local business association of specialty trade contractors), was active in the Mt. Vernon Rotary Club, served as the local United Way chairman, and was a long-time member of the city’s Chowder Dinner Club.  Charlie was a man of deep faith, sterling integrity, and a strong work ethic.  He blended common sense and compassion, quickly befriending everyone he met.  He loved Mt. Vernon, his home for more than five decades, and the many wonderful, life-long friends he made here.  Charlie enjoyed playing golf, watching sports (especially his beloved Baylor Bears football and basketball teams), cultivating his garden, and tinkering with all things mechanical.  He proudly watched his two sons develop professionally as a geologist and Marine, respectively.  And he was especially happy to watch his grandson grow into a fine young man and accountant.  Above all, Charlie cherished and served his wife of 71 years, Eloise.  It is hard to imagine them apart.

He is survived by his wife Eloise Marshbanks Morris (94); oldest son Charles Lee Morris, of Scottsdale, AZ, and wife Donna; youngest son Michael Fred Morris, of Stafford, VA, and wife Sue; grandson Garrett Lewis Morris, of Salt Lake City, UT; and a host of special friends.  Charlie was preceded in death by his father, Lewis Marion Morris; mother, Oneva Hayes Morris; stepmother, Irene Harkins Morris, and sister, Ruth Morris.

A visitation will be held Tuesday, 5 May 2026 at 11 AM at Park Avenue Baptist Church, followed by a funeral service at noon in the church with Pastor Gary West officiating.  Immediately following the funeral there will be an interment service at Mt. Vernon Memorial Gardens Cemetery Chapel.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials may be made in Charlie’s honor to the “Charles L. Morris Endowed Scholarship” at Berea College (Berea College, PO Box 1855, Berea, KY 40403) or to Park Avenue Baptist Church (900 Park Avenue, Mt. Vernon, IL 62864).