Pictured are Gene and Phyllis Morris, standing in front of Alexis Fire Equipment in 1961. The Morris family has worked closely with Alexis employees and their customers to make Alexis Fire Equipment the success it is today.
Gene sharing his stories at the Alexis Open House in 2005.
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March 27, 2007 – We, at Alexis Fire Equipment Company, would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone for their sympathies and condolences at the passing of our company's founder, Gene Morris. Thank you to all who visited the services Friday and Saturday to honor Gene and his life. We will miss his presence in our lives, his stories, and his passion for the work he loved so dearly. With every Alexis fire truck we build today and every fire truck we will build tomorrow, we will honor him.
March 20, 2007– Alexis Fire Equipment Company is deeply saddened to announce the death of the company's founder, Eugene "Gene" H. Morris, on March 18, 2007. Gene died at the age of 90 at 6:30 P.M. on Sunday at the Trinity West Medical Center in Moline, Illinois.
He was born October 1, 1916 in Alexis, IL, the son of Phillip Oren and Anna (Holmer) Morris. Gene married Mary Phyllis Reaber at the Marston Baptist Church in Mercer County, Illinois on July 26, 1939 and she died February 4, 2005. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, 3 brothers and 2 sisters.
Gene founded the Alexis Fire Equipment Company in 1947 and built his first two trucks during his six years at Ashland Oil Company in Ashland, KY. During his time in Kentucky, Gene made the decision to return to Alexis and begin his own business. Shortly thereafter Gene opened a fabricating and welding shop. He noticed that many of the trucks coming through were poorly built, and knew that he could produce a much better product. In 1947, Alexis Fire Equipment was born, and the Morris family began building fire trucks. The initial facility employed four men and could only accommodate three to four units at a time. The company that Gene founded in 1947 believed in dedication, hard work, and providing a superior fire truck to customers. These core values are still at the heart of Alexis Fire Equipment today with his son and owner/President of the company, Jeff Morris.
Surviving are 2 sons, Dennis L. (Susan) Morris of Cocoa Beach FL. and K. Jeffrey (Pamela) Morris of Galesburg, IL; 1 daughter, Marilyn Morris of Galesburg; 9 grandchildren, Douglas (Rebecca) Morris of Macomb, IL, Anna Morris of Cocoa Beach, FL:, Dawn (Eric) Baker of Abingdon, Il, Scott (Sara) Morris of North Aurora, IL, Tiffany Morris and Natalie Morris both of Galesburg, Il, Christopher Greene of San Francisco, CA, Todd Greene of Normal, IL and Patrick Greene of Vancouver, Washington; 3 great grandchildren, Ryan Baker and Nicole Baker both of Abingdon, IL and Aiden Morris of Macomb, IL along with nieces and nephews.
Online condolences may be left at hooverhall.com.
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