Funeral services for Irene Morgan, 86, of Benton, Kentucky will be at 11:00AM on Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at the Benton Church of Christ, 3091 Main Street, Benton, Kentucky 42025. Dr. Jay Lockhart of Tyler, Texas and Mark Ray, minister of the Benton Church of Christ, will officiate with burial to follow in the Thompson Cemetery, with Marlen Wood, nephew of Irene, conducting the graveside service. The family will receive friends from 3:00PM until 8:00PM on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at the Benton Church of Christ and again on Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at the Benton Church of Christ from 10:00AM until the funeral hour.
IRENE MORGAN was born on Monday, September 30, 1929 in Denton, Texas to the late John D. Whiteside and Lillian Bernice Webster Whiteside. She passed away at 9:04PM on Friday, July 8, 2016 at Baptist Health in Paducah, Kentucky surrounded by her family.
She was a graduate of Denton High School and had attended North Texas State University. Irene was a member of the Benton Church of Christ, where she had been a Sunday School teacher for many years. She was a member of the Garden Club of Benton, and the past president of the Benton Woman’s Club. Irene had served as the First District Vice Governor of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs Kentucky. In 1955, while serving as a civilian secretary for the United States Army in Frankfurt, Germany, she would meet Brigadier General Bill Morgan in France. They would marry that same year in a small village west of Paris. Irene then served as a secretary on the Everex Air Force Base in Everex, France and upon their return to the United States she served as a secretary for the Civil Service in Lubbock, Texas. Known for her regal looks and keen eye for fashion, Irene was a partner in the Twelfth Street Haberdashery clothing store in Benton. Bill and Irene were avid fans of the Marshall County High School and Murray State University basketball programs. They provided a generous donation to the Gene W. Ray Practice Facility at Murray State University which houses what is known as Morgan Court. Bill and Irene also funded Morgan Stadium at Freed-Hardeman University where Bill had begun his education before transferring to Murray State University. As two of the founders of the French African Christian Education Foundation, they funded the building of the Benin Bible Training Center, an eighteen acre campus outside Cotonou, Benin to train African preachers, while teaching them a trade to support themselves and their families. Irene was also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan.
Irene is survived by her husband of 60 years, Bill Morgan of Benton, KY; her daughter, Shannon West and her husband Dan of Flushing, MI; her son, Brandon Morgan and his wife Janet of Paducah, KY; four granddaughters, Emily Mathis and her husband Grant, Adrienne Cathey and her husband Nick, Jenna Morgan and Allie Morgan; three great grandchildren, Corynne Cathey, Joshua Ray Cathey and Myles Mathis; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by four sisters, Doris Baker, Evelyn Straub, Ann Carb and Nell Marie Wood; and three brothers, Ray Whiteside, Jack Whiteside and Donald Whiteside.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Benton Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1014, Benton, Kentucky 42025, New Pathways for Children, P.O. Box 10, Melber, Kentucky 42069 or the Thompson Cemetery Fund, c/o Suzanne Cass, 71 Kingston Lane, Benton, Kentucky 42025.
Arrangements for Irene Morgan have been entrusted to the Filbeck-Cann & King Funeral Home.
Condolences may be sent on-line at www.filbeckcannking.com