Thomas Frederick Morris

Born in Harrison County, Mississippi on February 19, 1929, Tom grew up with in a house with his mother, father and six siblings. He had a love of hunting, fishing and the outdoors from an early age.

Tom’s entire family relocated to San Diego, California to find work as the defense industry was expanding in the 1940s.

He graduated from Kearny High School in 1947 where he received good grades and excelled in Wrestling and Tumbling.

In 1950, he enlisted in the Army. He was part of the 11th Airborne Division as a Paratrooper. He participated in training exercises in North Carolina for the duration of his service.

He took his Airborne experience and became a Smokejumper with the US Forest Service.

Following his duty with USFS, he took a job as a roofer back in San Diego.

In 1955, he heard that the San Diego Fire Department was hiring.

The hiring process was less formal in those days. Tom went directly from his roofing job in his tar-splattered work clothes to the Fire Chief’s office for the interview. He was hired on the spot and sent directly to begin his On-The-Job Training at San Diego Fire Station 7.

Tom used to spend time at a gas station where a friend worked. Across the street from the gas station was a bank where his friend’s wife worked. In Fall of 1957, his friend’s wife visited the gas station with a very pretty co-worker. That’s when Tom met Josie. Six weeks later, they were married.

They raised two sons. They bought a modest Clairemont home. The family vacations were road trips to national parks and relatives every Summer.

Tom retired from the fire department in 1984, as a Captain. He and Josie remained married until his passing on October 10, 2023. It was a great life.