- Date Of Birth: September 3, 1947
- Date Of Death: June 13, 2021
- State: North Carolina
Dr. Paul William Morris was born in Schenectady New York on September 3, 1947. He spent his early life there with his parents, Lloyd and Martha Morris. He had a younger brother, Jack, who died of cancer when Paul was only twelve years old. Later the family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida where Paul attended Sea Breeze High School; and was a tuba-player in the school band
The loss of his only sibling was one of the incentives for Paul to choose a career in medicine. He graduated from Duke University in Durham, NC, with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Following that he attended medical school, graduating from Tulane University’s School of Medicine in Shreveport, LA.
He married and had two children, Stephanie and David, who he raised in Los Angeles, CA.
Early in his career, his love of medicine led him to working in the emergency room. He ultimately spent 30 years, board-certified, in emergency medicine. The majority of his career-life was in southern California. He worked in hospitals including Van Nuys Medical Center, Torrance Memorial, Pacifica as ER Medical Director, and Desert Valley.
In 2012 Paul married Tanya Marble Pursley, an emergency department nurse. In 2018 Paul and Tanya travelled to the Middle East to work as military-contracted medical personnel. They worked in Iraq at the Diplomatic Support Hospital where Paul was acting Chief Medical Officer.
In late 2020 Paul and Tanya purchased a home in Fayetteville, NC. They planned to retire there after returning stateside in February of this year. On their way home to the United States, medical visits to physicians in Dubai confirmed a diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer. The Morris’s spent another two months in Dubai as Paul underwent surgery and treatments. They were finally able to move into their new Fayetteville home in April and Paul began undergoing outpatient chemotherapy that continued for two months. Family and friends surrounded him in his last hours on Sunday June 13, 2021.
Paul was an avid sports fan and favored the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Duke Blue Devils. He liked building, repairing and improving things. He also enjoyed music, travelling, gardening, hiking and camping. More than anything though, he was a “people person,” who consistently reached out to make lives around him better.
Paul is survived by his wife Tanya Morris; his daughter, Stephanie Morris (partner Joey Goldthwaite); Paul’s son, David Morris (wife Brittany Morris) and granddaughters Savannah and Charlotte Morris; Stepson, Tyson Pursley and step grandchildren Artimus and Luna Pursley; Stepson, Ryan Pursley (wife Amanda Pursley); and mother-in-law Ruth Marble.
