Mr. Thomas H. Morton

Mr. Thomas H. Morton, 99, of Molena, GA, died Thursday, December 9, 2021, at his residence. Funeral services for Mr. Morton will be held Saturday, December 18, 2021, at 2:00 PM. at Oak Hill Church in Griffin, GA, with Rev. John Nance and Rev. Vernon Ritchie officiating. Interment will be private for family only at Westwood Gardens in Griffin, GA. The family will receive friends on Saturday from 1:00 – 2:00 PM at Oak Hill Church. Mr. Morton was born May 29, 1922, in Fall River, MA, to the late Russell Neely Morton and Lydia Ann Shuttleworth Morton, and he was raised in New York City. He was a 1941 graduate of Jamaica High School in New York, earned an AB degree from Mercer University in 1949, and received a JD from Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University in 1949. He did post graduate work at George Washington University in Labor and International law, and attended Judge Advocate General’s School at the University of Virginia. He also received a graduate certificate in Government, Military and Contract Law, a certificate in urban unrest and local government, and an ABA Certificate in Modern Real Estate Transactions from the University of Southern California. Mr. Morton was admitted to practice law in 1949, and he opened his first law office that year in Douglasville, GA. In 1950, he was commissioned in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army. In 1955, he joined the law department of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and was assigned to the company’s California Corporation. His area of responsibility included ten western and three eastern states. In 1985, he joined the law firm of Belcher, Henzie & Biegenzahn in Los Angeles, CA, as a Senior member of the firm. In 1991, he became a partner in the firm of Crawford & Morton in Zebulon, GA, and in 1994, he founded his own law firm there. After his son was admitted to the practice of law, Mr. Morton founded the firm of Morton, Morton, & Associates in Zebulon, GA. In addition to the general practice of law and representing many major clients such as Zamboni and NEISMA, he became City Attorney for the Cities of Zebulon and Meansville, GA, and he served as County Attorney for Spalding, Meriwether, and Pike County, GA. In addition to helping the county and cities of Pike with legal, community, and developmental issues, Mr. Morton was a member of many civic organizations including the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, and Pike County Historical Society. He was named Zebulon Citizen of the Year in 2017. Mr. Morton served in the U. S. Navy from 1942-1945 as TM2C and in the U. S. Army from 1949-1955 as Captain. He earned eight Battle Stars for WW II while In the Navy and was the recipient of the Navy Ribbon of Commendation for Valor in the Battle of Okinawa during WW II, in addition to many other citations. Mr. Morton was active in many sports and was a Boy Scout in his younger days. He served on many Boards of Directors, including many years at the First Bank of Pike. He was actively involved in church all of his life, having been ordained as a Deacon and later as a Southern Baptist Minister. Mr. Morton married Mary Elizabeth Mowell of Decatur, GA, in 1942, and after her death in 1991, he married Sonya D. Morton in May, 1992. He was also preceded in death by a daughter, Cherry Lynn Morton, and a step son, Duane Croom. In addition to his current wife, survivors include a daughter, Janice Morton of Jacksonville, FL; two sons: Thomas H. (Kyoko) Morton, Jr., of Kailua-Kona, HI and Rob (Deby) Morton, of Zebulon, GA; two step sons, Lonnie Croom of Windsor, CO, and Kevin Croom of Henderson, NV. Thirteen grandchildren and seven great grandchildren also survive. Fletcher-Day Funeral Home of Thomaston, GA, is in charge of all arrangements. Condolences and remembrances may be expressed at www.fletchedayfuneralhome.com.