Norman Dean Morrison, Jr.

Norman Dean Morrison, Jr. was born in Ft. Riley, KS on November 19, 1953, to Norman Sr. and Merna.  He was always surly when you mentioned that he wasn’t actually born in Texas, where they quickly moved back to after his dad got out of the Army.  Norman Sr. was an accountant that got an opportunity to buy a tiny beer distributorship with one truck in 1963.  He worked tirelessly to build that business and Dean was a close observer along the way.  He was the valedictorian of Borger High School in 1972.

Maybe surprising to some, Dean was quite the athlete, excelling in baseball, football, and track.  He attended Rice University in Houston, TX and was a kicker on the football team.  While there he met his best friend and beer drinking buddy, Ed Haar.  Ed was a fellow panhandle kid and took Dean to meet his family over Thanksgiving.  Dean met Ed’s sister, Sherry and the rest is history.  He fell in love with her and then transferred to Texas Tech where she was a student.  He graduated with a business degree and was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity. They married soon after graduation.

They soon moved back to Borger, TX where they started a family, had a son, Shawn, and Dean went to work for his parents.  He was an incredible father, husband, and boss.  In 1990 they had the opportunity to buy the distributorship in Amarillo and consolidate the entire panhandle under one roof.  Since then, Dean had worked to build the business at the same time to raise his son and volunteer his time to his community.  Dean loved the panhandle, Amarillo, the United Way, the Food Bank, and countless charities.  He was one of a kind and very generous.

Dean was a joke teller (some not entirely appropriate).  He always tried to put a smile on everyone’s face.  He loved his golfing buddies, his employees and just about anyone he may have run across.  He joined the Episcopal Church in 1985 and he was a lay reader and chalice bearer.  He loved his church and Jesus Christ. He had a heart of gold.

Most of all he loved his family.  He and Sherry were married for 47 years and were extremely proud grandparents of Norman III and Conrad.

Dean passed away on September 10

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with his family at his side.  He was extremely appreciative of the medical staff that helped him through the struggles he had with infections.  He will be sorely missed.

Memorial services will be at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, September 14, 2023, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church with the Rev. Jared Houze officiating.  Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to High Plains Food Bank, PO Box 31803, Amarillo, TX 79120; or to Colorful Closets, P.O. Box 223, ​Amarillo, TX 79105.