Obituary of Howard Morgan Jr.

Howard William Morgan Jr. (better known as Bill), 81, passed away peacefully on March 14, 2013, in his Centre Hall Pennsylvania home. As always, Fred, his trusty Saint Bernard was at his side. Bill is survived by his wife of 55 years, Alyce Morgan, and their two children Will Morgan and daughter-in-law Cheryl Morgan of Atherton California and Lucy Curran and son-in-law Bill Curran and their two children Benjamin and Cristina also of Centre Hall. Born in Toledo Ohio on May 31, 1931, Bill was the only child of Howard and Sue Morgan of Reading Pennsylvania. Bill attended the Hill School in Pottstown, PA, Penn State University, served in the Korean War, and then attended the University of Vermont on the GI Bill. On Bill's last day, he did what he loved most, flying in the company plane to Michigan City, IN and back, helping to keep his company running smoothly. Bill was a mechanical engineer and worked as a salesman for the American Felt Company and GAF before starting his own industrial filtration manufacturing company, Filter Specialists, Inc. (FSI) of Michigan City, IN, in 1972. Bill's passion for his business and intense determination were instrumental in FSI's steady growth. His innovative ideas, resulted in numerous patents, and fundamentally changed the filtration industry. Because of the company's many talented and loyal employees, FSI continues to thrive today with sales and manufacturing facilities domestically and across the globe. During FSI's early years, Bill acquired his private pilot license and purchased and flew a series of airplanes, each a little bigger and faster than the last. Bill loved to fly and took the opportunity to make business calls as frequently as possible. Bill piloted his plane solo until the age of 70 when a series of strokes caused him to become a passenger rather than the pilot. Bill had a big life. Anyone that knew him recognized his commanding personality. You always knew when he was in the room. Bill loved to cook and eat good food (ice cream was his food of choice), travel, boat, fish, snow mobile, water ski, build things, cut and chop firewood, and spend time with his family. He was an avid Republican and sought out any opportunity to talk and debate politics. Bill traveled to most continents in his life and made several amazing trips to Alaska for salmon and halibut fishing. The Morgans purchased land and built a camp on northern Lake Champlain in Vermont in 1969. This became their summer and Christmas retreat with many fond memories of eating Maine lobster, water and snow skiing and doing other sports in the beautiful Champlain Island region. Bill was a slalom water skier and managed to still get up on one ski at the age of 69. When he didn't get up, it was the boat drivers fault. Bill was a big fan of St. Bernards. Fred is the last in a line that expanded over 40 years and included Pirate, Fritz, Sam, and Bo. Taking one of the "boys" for a car or boat ride was a regular activity for Bill. Bill and Alyce moved to Centre Hall in 2003. Bill quickly became an avid Penn State football fan and attended most games over the last 10-year period. He enjoyed living in the State College area close to family and spending time on his picturesque Nittany Mountain property. A memorial service to celebrate Bill's life will be held in Michigan City, IN this spring, at a date yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the American Red Cross. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.