Woodrow Wilson Morgan

August 2, 1918 — October 2, 2009

Woodrow “Woody” Morgan, the Old Flying Tiger, died on October 2 at the age of 91. He was born on August 2, 1918 at Pecan Island, Louisiana, the eighth and last surviving child of ten born to Jefferson Davis Morgan and Virginia Dyson Morgan. He resided in New Orleans for many years and, at the time of his death, in Folsom, Louisiana.

He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and is survived by his wife of 64 years, Laura Morgan; six children and their spouses (Jean and Jerry Ballanco, Susan and Paul Bennett, Stephanie and Bill Watts, Sandra and Dan Jones, Rebecca and John Sencial, Jr., and Charles and Tricia Morgan). He also leaves 20 grandchildren: Laura Polk (husband Travis), Jared (wife Amy D.) Meaux, Amy E.D. Meaux; Pamela and Zachary Bennett; Douglas (wife Kate), Thomas and Abigail Watts; Katherine (husband Rick) Manion, Charles and Matthew Jones; John III, Jordan, Jacob and Jamie Sencial; Brittany, Breanne, Brian, Brock and Brigette Morgan; and nine great grandchildren: Caleb, Mason, Kai, Jack, Elise, Jacob, Caroline, Elizabeth, and Osmond.

Woody graduated from Pecan Island High School as valedictorian of his class and then attended trade school in Houston. He returned to the Island and worked as a boat engineer and as a seismographer in the drilling fields of southwest Louisiana. During World War II, he was a crew chief with the U.S. Army Aircorps, 529 Squadron, Flying Tigers, in India and China and received three Bronze Stars. When he was discharged in December of 1945, he married Laura Gautreau and then attended ULL (at that time SLI). After obtaining his degree, he went to work for Texaco where he was employed for 32 years. He was superintendant of the Paradise Gas Processing Plant and, at the time of his retirement in 1983, Assistant Manager of Texaco’s offshore gas department. He was a charter member of Oak Park Baptist Church, a Master Mason and member of the Abbeville Masonic Lodge. One of his greatest pleasures was attending the Flying Tiger reunions and he did so from 1979 until 2008, missing only one in 2007 when he was ill.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the memorial service at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 12, 2009, at the Abbeville United Methodist Church, 213 N. State Street, Abbeville, Louisiana. Visitation at the church will begin at 9 a.m. Interment will be at Pecan Island Cemetery at 2:00 p.m.

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Woodrow Wilson Morgan

August 2, 1918 — October 2, 2009

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