12/06/2025
🌟✨ Saturday Spotlight: Meet Morris! ✨🌟
This week, our Saturday Spotlight shines on an extraordinary resident — Walter “Morris” Holmes, Jr. 💛🌿
Morris was born on June 12, 1938, in Atlanta, GA 🍑, and grew up between Atlanta and Stone Mountain 🏡. His childhood was shaped by a close-knit family — his mother, Lilly, worked as a long-distance BellSouth operator 📞, and his father, Walter Sr., was a parts crib manager at Lockheed ✈️🔧. He has one younger brother, Larry, and a childhood full of lively cousins, porch stories, and good humor 😄👦. Morris even once helped raise a calf named Blacky — who eventually ended up on the dinner table, a memory his family still teases him about 🐄➡️🍽️.
He graduated from Stone Mountain High School (1956) where he excelled in math and science, played trombone in the marching band 🎺, and found his early passions in ham radio and engineering.
Morris attended Georgia Tech, UCLA, and UCLA again, earning three engineering degrees — BS, EE; MS, IS; ME. 🎓⚙️ He then served three years in the U.S. Navy as an officer aboard the USS Black, patrolling the Taiwan Strait and enjoying memorable moments in Hong Kong. ⚓🌏
And soon, love found its way in... A shipmate set him up on a blind date with his cousin, Jean. They went to the Glendale Fair, where Morris won her a plush frog 🐸🎡 — the beginning of a beautiful life together. They married, raised two daughters, Janet and Marcia, and later welcomed three grandchildren — Elise, Melissa, and Bradley — and one great-grandchild, little Beth 💗👶. Family has always been his greatest joy.
Morris’s career is nothing short of exceptional. After the Navy, he began at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, then spent most of his career at TRW, designing and developing communications satellites. 🚀🛰️ He served as Program Manager and Chief Engineer for the TDRSS satellites deployed by the Space Shuttle — a legacy still orbiting Earth today. He traveled the world presenting technical papers and spoke of these years with great pride. 🌍✨
Outside of engineering, Morris earned his private pilot’s license ✈️, rode his bicycle 50 miles a day 🚴, and lived life with quiet determination and curiosity. He has lived in Atlanta, Stone Mountain, La Crescenta, Redondo Beach, Washington, D.C., and finally back home to Cu***ng.
Now in this season of life, Morris finds joy in the simple pleasures that make each day bright. He loves listening to live music 🎶, especially the Eagles and Billy Joel, and relaxing with game shows 📺 or programs on the Discovery and History Channel. He enjoys reading The Economist and Aviation Week, always keeping his mind active and sharp. 📚✈️
He cherishes restful moments in his recliner with his feet up 😌🛋️, and he enjoys long walks through the halls — often logging thousands of steps a day! 🚶♂️✨ Morris also likes going for rides, working on crafts, and playing games like checkers, Trouble, and Mahjongg on his iPad. 🎲📱 He loves spring and fall, when the days are not too hot and not too cold 🍃🌼, and occasionally enjoys a Wild Turkey 101 — on the rocks, of course. 🥃😉
Ask anyone at Magnolia and they’ll tell you: Morris is quiet, incredibly bright, clean-shaven, sharply dressed, and always a gentleman. 💙 He’s introverted, but deeply kind — and if you say, “Hey Morris, can you come help me?” he’s already on his feet.
Morris, we’re honored to spotlight you. Your life, your accomplishments, and your generous, gentle spirit inspire us every day. We’re grateful to have you in our Magnolia family. 🌸🏡💙
