Dennis (Denny) Mervyn Morrison (1930 — Feb 25, 2018)

Denny Morrison died at age 87 on Sunday, February 25, at Southlake Village Nursing Home, Newmarket, with son and daughter, Peter and Laura, at his side. He was predeceased by Lizzie, his beloved wife of 52 years, and by his brother, Frank Morrison. Born in Bristol, England, in the Llandoger Trow, the sailor’s pub reputed to be where Daniel Defoe met Alexander Selkirk, the model for Robinson Crusoe, Denny Morrison inevitably caught the “sea-fever” that led him to join the Merchant Navy after graduating from Watts Naval Training School in Norfolk, England.

As an Able Seaman, and later, Ship’s Boatswain, Denny traveled to all five continents and to most of the countries thereon. While docked in Vancouver in the early 50s, he met Dorothy Elizabeth (Lizzie) Keen, who was to become the love of his life. They were married in England in 1955 and moved to Ontario in 1956 while Lizzie was pregnant with their son, Peter. Though they lived in several locations, the one constant over the next 50+ years was their cottage on the peninsular (sometimes referred to as Keenview Island) across from Rockhaven where they lived year-round for several years.

For most of his professional life in Canada, Denny worked in the oil home-heating industry, mainly for Imperial Oil (Esso) and Sunoco. He retired, at age 75, from Tech Air Systems in Gravenhurst in 2005. At the cottage, he indulged his passion for fishing, for relaxing with a good history book or mystery novel, for gardening, and cooking. He was a member of the Canadian Power Squadron, loved car racing and steam trains, played a mean harmonica, and coached hockey while Peter was growing up and playing this most un-English game. He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends.