Sharif Keenan Morgan

Sharif Keenan Morgan was born April 6, 1974 in Brooklyn, New York and was Ronald & {Dee} Vicki Morgan’s first born child. He passed away at age 49 at his home in Charleston, IL. He battled with PTSD {Post Traumatic Stress Disorder} along with other military related medical problems.

At the age of 4 they moved to High Bridge, New Jersey and in 1991 moved to Las Vegas, Nevada during his senior year. He graduated from Valley High School in 1991. In 2000, Sharif joined the United States Marines Corp and served two tours in Iraq. He remained a proud Marine Veteran after he was honorably discharged as a Sergeant in 2011. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. He worked as a correctional officer at Southern Desert Correctional Center and when he moved to Illinois he worked as a Parole & Probation officer until his health failed him.

Sharif leaves to mourn his parents Ronald & {Dee} Vicki Morgan of Henderson, NV, his godparents Daddy Taylor and Mommy Pat his twin daughters who he affectionately called his “little angels'' Kristmas & Kathrena, of Charleston, IL, his sisters Nayana Clark of Las Vegas, NV & Tia Morgan of Durham, NC, and his only brother Kevin Morgan of Reno, NV, his nephews Malik & Keontae Clark, great nephew Micah Clark all of Las Vegas, NV, grandmother Doris Jones of Houston, TX, aunts Rochelle Barnes-Burse, Gail Barnes, Alecia Borders & Uncle Robert L. Carter Sr. all of Las Vegas, NV., several cousins and friends too many to name without leaving anyone out. Last but not least his best friend and Marine brother Retired Chief Master Sgt Charlie Quinn, of Fl, his wife Kat Quinn & their children Brandon & Haleigh who affectionately called him “Uncle Sharif."

He was predeceased by his maternal grandparents William & Rachael Barnes, Uncle Billy & Auntie Carol Barnes, and his favorite Auntie Jo-jo Barnes. On his paternal side his grandparents Charlie & Jesse Mae Williams, and his Uncle Patrick Morgan.

Sharif was best known for debating with his cousins and friends about sports teams: NY Giants, Cowboys, NY Yankees, Golden Knights and especially politics on & off facebook. He will always be remembered by his parents as such an easygoing child growing up. He was best known to ask his parents their opinion on something he had already done!

To: Sharif, My Beloved Godson

From: Daddy Taylor

God sends people into our lives for a reason and for a season. All of those He sends have a purpose in our lives and when that purpose is done they move on. God sent you into my life for several purposes. Each purpose helped me to grow as a person. You were helping me simply by being in my life with your loving spirit and genuine heart.

First, you entered my space so that you could teach me how to experience the wonderment of being a father. Although I have no biological children, to me, you were always my “spiritual” son from the first time I held your tiny body in my arms. Holding you made me feel like your protector and provider because you were dependent on someone caring for you. From those special moments on I always felt like I really was a “daddy” who had the affirming joy of having a son. Thank you!

Next, watching you grow up taught me how to enjoy the innocence of youth and enjoy life as it comes. Being in business, I was always stressed and sometimes could not enjoy the simple things. Having you in my life gave me an appreciation for humble pleasures. I loved watching you play sports, riding your bike, diving into the backyard pool with reckless abandon, always asking me stuff about sports with the expectation that I knew all the answers, and the way you wanted to be in my presence just because I was your “Daddy Taylor.” Thank you!

Then, I am thankful you came into my life because I learned what real courage looked like. I watched you graduate from high school, go into the military, serve your country, and raise a family. You did all of this by battling and never giving in to challenges early on with your speech. You fought through that period with determination, an attitude of perseverance, and overcame the potential barriers. I was proud of you for your fortitude. Little did you know how you were teaching me lessons on courage, guts, and overcoming obstacles in life. You were teaching me how to not make excuses, just excel with what God gave you. Thank you!

As I close this letter to you, the final, and the most important, piece is you taught me how to love unconditionally—it’s called agape’ love. The love that Christ has for each of His children no matter what. That’s the type of love you taught me to have by showing me that same type of unconditional love. I will always love you because you always showed your love for me. You showed me love by calling me frequently to check in on me. You showed me love when you were in basic training and wanted to see me. You showed me love when I was going through a difficult period later in my life by reaching out to me and letting me know you still desired a relationship with, and that I still was, your “Daddy Taylor.” You showed me love by just being Sharif, my Godson, who became the son to me that any Father would be proud to have. Thank you!

So, now that life has taken one if its unexpected turns and you are, sadly, not with us here in this life experience, be assured of one thing— your Spirit forever lives on in me and all those who love you.

The Bible says, “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” —Psalm 30, verse 5.

So, take your sweet rest my beloved Godson, Sharif Keenan Morgan. We will see you in the “morning time.”

With all my Love,

Daddy Taylor

To: Uncle Sharif

It is an honor to be asked to share memories and thoughts about our beloved friend, Sharif. He is a brother to me and my wife, Kat. An uncle to our adult children, Brandon and Haleigh, who to this day call him Uncle Sharif. Haleigh thanked him in her high school graduation speech due to his impact upon our lives. We wrote this eulogy together as a tribute and statement of love for you, Uncle Sharif.

Sharif and I met during our freshman year at Voorhees High School in New Jersey. On the wrestling team, we were in the same weight class, therefore were regularly paired for practices. As notoriously miserable as wrestling practice is, Sharif and his beaming smile made it tolerable. Scratch that - he made it fun. We laughed together at the misery and even began staying beyond mandated practice hours to better ourselves.

Our high school time together was short; Sharif and his family took up residence in Las Vegas midway through his high school career. However, we kept in touch on a regular basis. So much so that one summer vacation in NJ, Sharif invited me to spend a couple of weeks during his year-round school year. Surprisingly, his parents were accepting and I tagged along to school with him, class to class. We were inseparable after that trip and spoke of grand plans and the riches we were certain to obtain when we became adults.

It took about two years after high school graduation for Sharif to convince me to move out to Las Vegas and become roommates. Living together we learned so much about ourselves and each other, such as his passion for cooking, his formula for Kool-Aid (sugar + sugar + sugar + sugar, some water), how much of a slob he was and how much of an absurd neat freak I was. But it was a good balance and worked spectacularly. We enjoyed each other’s company, worked menial jobs, and had fun searching for our fortunes and women. At minimum, we could count on Wednesday night 49 cents McDonald’s cheeseburgers for a quick taste of happiness. And guaranteed his fries would be fresh or he would loudly explain to the cashier proper fry-freshness, demanding a new batch with a glorious smile. Eventually finding a larger condo to rent, we met Kat who lived across the parking lot from us. We all became friends and enjoyed spending time together, Sharif making meals in our new kitchen and using us to experiment on to determine tolerable levels of garlic. Kat would eventually become my wife, Sharif being the incontrovertible choice for my best man. He was also the first friend allowed to hold our newborn son. Without Sharif, I would not have met my wife nor had the children we are so proud of today.

We shared many passions, one being love of country. Having casually spoken of joining the military since high school, the time never seemed proper. However, the talk began again as Uncle Sharif, Kat & I would discuss raising Brandon. With Kat’s blessing, we went overboard and decided to join the best branch, the United States Marine Corps. Since shipping off to boot camp, our lives changed direction and we matured, but nothing would ever break the bond we had formed. He would visit us for holidays, life events, and unexpectedly showed up for my first significant promotion in rank. Every single year without fail we would receive cards: birthdays, our anniversary, and Mother’s Day. Sharif was a kind, thoughtful, and loving man who made others feel loved. A trait that we’ve come to recognize originated from the love of his parents, who we have since hijacked as our parents and grandparents to our children.

In December of 2006, Sharif became a father to twin girls. We were stationed in Japan at the time, not able to join and welcome the two baby girls. It wasn’t until 2011 when we first met Kristmas and Kathrena in person. As a single father, Sharif came to visit us in California with his amazing five year old daughters. It was spectacular seeing him play the role of a single father raising two little girls. He was a gentle and patient parent who would pair dirty socks with safety pins (a Mom lesson), brush the girls’ hair, ensure they ate proper meals, play heartily alongside them at the playground, simply enjoying being a parent and in love with his children. His smile couldn’t be contained.

Sharif was an intelligent man, recognized by those who took a moment to engage him in conversation. He was passionate about his daughters, politics, his country, its constitutional freedoms, criminology (his degree field), and sports, most of which can be highly controversial. But that was the pleasure for him, discussing heated topics to better understand differing perspectives, to learn, and to share his understanding and beliefs. He enjoyed people, enjoyed sharing his knowledge, and enjoyed conversation. He was a good soul, caring, thoughtful, and kind hearted. 6 months prior to my retirement two years ago, Kat accepted an overseas business venture and was accompanied by Haleigh, who would finish high school on a military base. Sharif recognized those drastic changes in my life and escalated our contact calling me daily to discuss news topics, sending goofy memes and videos, pics of daily happenings and local nonsense. He flew out and stayed a week for my 49th birthday last September because he saw a potential for loneliness. Then joined me for a road trip, New Hampshire to Florida, this past February. We stopped in New Jersey where our paths initially crossed and our journeys began, visiting the high school, some old friends, and locations we used to frequent. He decided to contact the current owners of the home he grew up in to see if they would allow a visit. He warmed this man’s heart immediately and was given a tour, to include receiving an escorted visit to a neighbor’s house the family had known. We stayed that night in NJ, then on to Quantico, VA, where my son (also a proud Marine officer) was stationed. Uncle Sharif and Brandon had been discussing a tour of the Marine Corps Museum for a few days, a mutual enthusiasm that they were excited to share. We reached our destination of Pensacola, Florida the following evening, and Sharif flew back home to his family in Illinois two days later. That was the final time we would see Sharif.

Having lost Sharif, we were starkly reminded of the blessing we had in sharing his life, the impact and capacity he played in our family’s creation, and the rewards and happiness of caring for and loving others. The relationships that were cultivated with his parents, siblings, and children over decades have become so much more precious, as well. We are truly grateful to be a part of this family and share their joys and pains.

We miss your smile, Uncle Sharif. ’Til Valhalla, my brother.

To: Sharif, My Beloved Godson

From: Mommy Pat

Sharif was the essence of a beautiful person with a penetrating smile brilliant as a beautiful sunset.

Thoughtful, sincere, approachable and supportive to all he knew. Day by day I will work through the loss of my of my beloved Godson Sharif. My love for him will travel through eternity. I am so thankful we always ended our conversations by saying "I Love You."

RIP my beloved Godson.

Until we meet again,

Mommy Pat