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In Memory of Vincent Patrick Morris

By Heather Gravning posted Jul 26, 2022 04:07 PM

  

Vincent Patrick Morris

September 2, 1956 - July 13, 2022

Vincent Patrick Morris passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, surrounded by family. A fourth generation San Franciscan, Vince was the third of seven children born to Florence and George Morris Jr. (deceased). Vince attended St. Gabriel 's grammar school and St. Ignatius High School, where he began his journey as a student athlete. With the SF Judo Institute, Vince competed in annual national competitions, earned his blackbelt at age 16 (1972), and became a CA State Champion (1974).

At UC Berkeley, Vince was a member of NROTC and the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and pitched for Cal Baseball. After graduating from UC Berkeley (1979) with a degree in mechanical engineering, he worked for GE's Manufacturing Management Program. Higher management saw Vince's potential and urged him to apply to Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA in 1986. Vince went on to work for Raychem Corporation as Director of Operations. He rose through the ranks to become their global Chief Marketing Executive and relocated with his family to Belgium. Vince seized this opportunity to travel throughout Europe and Asia for both business and pleasure. When he returned to the Bay Area, Vince worked for QRS as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Interim CMO. Vince devoted the final two decades of his life to ERTEC Environmental Systems as President and CEO, where he designed and manufactured products to preserve fragile ecosystems and protect endangered wildlife. Always driven by innovation and ingenuity, Vince accumulated multiple patents throughout his career.

Outside of work, "Vinnie" was a family man. He prioritized regular gatherings with the Morris family and followed in his father's footsteps as the family photographer and archivist. Vince never missed an opportunity to support his children; be it a little league game in Alameda, or an international conducting debut in Stockholm, Vince was there. An admirer of the great outdoors, he organized annual summer camping trips to South Lake Tahoe with his children. Together, they traversed many of our country's beautiful National Parks, and more recently enjoyed backpacking into Desolation Wilderness. With his fiancée Beatrix, Vince cultivated a warm home and an adventurous life – they continued to explore the globe with a special interest in countries where he could practice his Spanish.

Mischievous but kind at heart, Vince especially delighted in making others laugh with his unique sense of humor. Vince was also a lifelong fan of Bay Area sports, particularly the San Francisco Giants; KNBR has lost an ardent listener.

Vince is survived by his mother, Florence Morris; his six siblings: Colleen Abrams, Karen Cummings (Dan), Richard Morris (Jeanne), Marjorie Spano (Matt), Sheila Siragusa (Tom), and George Morris III; the mother of his children, Lynn Anders; his fiancée, Beatrix Kasten; his children, Luke and Julia Morris; and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family whom he loved very much. He is, and will forever be, dearly missed. A memorial service for Vince will be held at St. Gabriel's at 2559 40th Avenue in San Francisco on Thursday, July 28th at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Nature Conservancy (nature.org) in honor of Vince's dedication to our beautiful planet and all its living things.

Vincent Patrick Morris
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