Obituary of Norman Lester Morse

Norman Lester Morse Penn Yan: Norman Lester Morse, 98, longtime resident of Houston, Texas, died peacefully from complications of Parkinson’s at Penn Yan Manor on April 13, 2016, in the care of family and staff. Norman was born November 25, 1917 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the son of Lester Forrest and Marie Butz Morse. He attended Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Pa., graduating as valedictorian. He received his B. S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University and his PhD in Chemistry in 1943 from the University of Rochester, where he met his lifelong love, Martha Lawson, who he married in 1945. Norman worked for Shell Oil Company and Shell Development Company from 1943, retiring in 1982. He made many lifelong friends at Shell, who shared his interests in art, crafts and music. A football player in high school and college, his sports interests also included tennis, golf (he caddied and was close to a scratch golfer in his youth), sailing, canoeing and swimming. His family remembers his daily third mile swim and he greatly enjoyed golfing with his son and son-in-law during summers at Seneca Lake. Passionately devoted to world peace, Norman served as President of the United Nations Association of Houston and ran the Model U. N. program for local high schools. He and Martha hosted many foreign students, helping them understand the idiosyncrasies of English, and American culture. Frequent travelers abroad, they often stayed with foreign friends. Norman was an ecumenical Christian, espousing the teachings of Christ and a broad-minded view of religion. He and Martha were founding members and deacons of the First Congregational Church of Houston. Avid patrons of the arts, they were members of the Grand Opera, Symphony, Ballet and Museum of Fine Arts. Norman is remembered by all as a perfect gentleman – polite, rarely showing anger, ready with good advice when requested and compliments and encouragement when needed. His grandchildren thought of “Grandfather Sir” as amazing, telling them stories, taking them sailing, sending poems for birthdays and valentines, and traveling long distances with Martha to attend graduations. His wife Martha and siblings Ted, Don, Barbara, Pat, and Mickey predeceased Norman. Surviving are his children Bob (Mimi) Morse, Betsy (Roger) Howland, Bill (Maude) Morse; nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, along with his sister-in-law Frances Lawson and many nieces and nephews. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Baird Funeral Home in Dundee, New York. A celebration of his life will be held at 3 PM Saturday, July 2 at the First Presbyterian Church, 31 Main St., Dundee, followed by refreshments. Contributions may be given to Missions Fund of the First Congregational Church of Houston, the Dundee Historical Society, or UNICEF. The family gives special thanks to the staff at Penn Yan Manor for their personal attention to Norman, and to our Lawson relatives in the area for their visits to Norman and their hospitality in hosting family visits. Online condolences can be sent by visiting http://www.bairdfuneralhomedundee.com.