Dan Ed Morton

Dan Ed Morton

Daniel Edwin Morton was born on May 23, 1944, in the Waxahachie Sanitarium. He was the son of Groner Truett Morton and Edwina Graves Morton, the paternal grandson of Daniel Miller Morton and Mary Jane Barton Morton, and the maternal grandson of Cupid Edwin Graves and Myrtle Ferrar Graves.

He is survived by his son, Dan Morton Jr., and wife Gwenean Threadgill Morton; daughter, Heidi Morton-Pigg and husband Von Pigg; grandson, Luke Morton; granddaughters, Rylie Morton Priebe and husband Max, Abbie Morton, Shelby Smith, and Macie Morton. He is also survived by his brother, G.T. Morton and wife Kathy Todd Morton, along with several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He loved and deeply enjoyed his grandchildren, watching them participate in their many activities and events. He especially loved having them at his home to swim, for birthdays, and for Christmas, all of which he looked forward to with great delight.

He was a graduate of Mrs. C.C. Douglas Kindergarten, Ferris Ward, Marvin Elementary, Waxahachie High School, Baylor University, and numerous bank-related schools. He was one of the six original recipients of the J. Harry Phillips Scholarship to Baylor University. While at Baylor, he was a member of the Delta Sigma Pi fraternity and became a man of commerce.

Dan enjoyed a banking career that spanned over 60 years, beginning with Waxahachie Bank and Trust Company in 1962 and returning in 1970—later becoming its president in 1976. He also worked with Citizens National Bank of Waco, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, First Bank and Trust in Ennis and Waxahachie, and First State Bank in Rice, Texas (Waxahachie branch). He was blessed with many mentors and believed employees were the foundation of a bank’s success. Through those many years, he made countless friends while serving the banks’ customers. He was told early in his career:

“Treat each customer like you would like your mother to be treated, and the customer you are waiting upon is the bank’s most important customer.”

He served locally as a member of the Board of Directors of the Waxahachie Housing Authority for more than 26 years and was chairman for 14 of them. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce, where he was president in 1981, as well as the YMCA Board of Directors and the W. C. Tenery Hospital Board of Directors. He served on three bond committees for Waxahachie ISD and the City of Waxahachie. In 1983, he was named Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce.

Dan coached and helped organize the YMCA soccer program, coached youth baseball, and also coached American Legion baseball. He was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout in Troop 231 sponsored by First Baptist Church, and he participated in the YMCA Indian Guides and Indian Princess programs with his son and daughter. He supported the athletic teams of WISD, the Waxahachie Youth Expo, helped raise funds for numerous charitable events, and always showed up as a regular buyer during Girl Scout cookie drives.

On Monday, October 5, 2020, the mayor and Waxahachie City Council declared it Dan Morton Day for all he did to make Waxahachie a great place to live.

He was a founding member of the International Brotherhood of the Royal and Ancient Order (Mostly Ancient) of the HF3, that unique group of WHS classmates was truly special, and he looked forward every year to their “fall dove hunt”, “winter quail hunt”, and “spring fishing trip”.

He enjoyed all sports, especially Waxahachie football, basketball, baseball, girls and boys golf (Hachie!). He loved all Baylor sports (Sic ‘Em, Bears!), as well as hunting, fishing, playing golf, and Monday night poker. He loved telling jokes and old stories, and he never missed an opportunity and worked days to set up a practical joke. He couldn’t sing, but he sure enjoyed a wide range of music.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, his father, mother, infant son William Robert “Roby” Morton, his sister Susan Morton Calvert, his “special lady friend” of 33 years, Linda Gillespie, and a host of beloved friends. He looked forward to reuniting with each of them.

He was a Christian. John 3:16.