Richard Albert Morgan, age 86, died Sunday, April 26, 2020, at home surrounded by his wife and three children.

Richard was born in Shelby, NC, on November 25, 1933, to the late Lonnie Edgar Morgan and Eula Bessie Smith Parris. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Jeannie Kuhlman.

He attended Shelby City Schools as well as Belmont Textile Schools. His early career was in textiles with the Dover Group at Dover and Ora Mills and later at Shelby Mills. Subsequently, he became a licensed insurance agent and worked at Western-Southern Life and retired from Farm Bureau Insurance. Richard proudly served his country for fourteen-and-a-half years in the National Guard. He was a long-time, active member of Dover Baptist Church in Shelby, formerly serving as a deacon chairman, choir member, and Sunday School teacher. He currently was a member of Bethel Baptist Church, where he remained active until his health declined.

On December 29, 1951, he married Joyce Marie Stanley, and this past year they celebrated sixty-eight years of marriage. They enjoyed traveling together to all fifty states and other worldwide destinations. They had three children: Judith "Judy" Wright (Barry), Sherri Beam (Zeb III), and Richard "Rick" Morgan (Georgann). Also surviving are five grandchildren, Ashley Wright, Lance Wright (Briana); Morgan Beam McCraw (Chris), Zeb Beam, IV (Lindsey); and Emily Hunnicutt Clary (Wesley), and seven great-grandchildren, Calleigh and Caide Wright, Gunnar and Dalton McCraw, and Abby, Macey, and Lily Clary. Also surviving Richard are siblings Joann Varni, Brenda Hoover, Barbara Luckert, Tina Brown, Patty Mason, and Gary Parris.

Due to the current health crisis, Richard will lie in state for friends to pay their respects from 2:00-5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, at Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home and Crematory. The family will not be present during viewing but will look forward to reading messages at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com guest registry.

A private celebration of life will be held at Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home Chapel Wednesday, April 29, 2020 followed by burial at Cleveland Memorial Park, Shelby, NC, with Dr. Tim Sims officiating. The funeral service will be available to view after the service on the above-mentioned website. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy would be appreciated to Bethel Baptist Church, 606 S. Dekalb Street, Shelby, NC, or a charity of the donor's choice.