Edwin Wallace Morgan was born in 1932 in Sawmill Holler, Wilcoe, WV, the thirteenth of sixteen children born to William Brownlow and Rosa (Holtsclaw) Morgan. In 1951 Ed graduated from high school in Gary, WV. Ed spent his summers in Walla Walla, WA, in 1950 and 51 where he met the love of his life, Barbara Jones. Ed and Barbara were married in 1952, while she was in nursing school and he was on leave from his deployment with the US Navy in Korea. Following his discharge from the Navy, Ed earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree in education. Ed began his career as elementary teacher, but he was best known as a school administrator, serving as superintendent in Vale, OR, Palouse, WA, and finally as superintendent of the Malheur ESD in Malheur County Oregon. Ed was known as an innovative educator, but he was probably best remembered for his positive influence on young people. Ed was always ready to take a risk or offer a second chance.

After Ed and Barbara retired, they loved nothing better than entertaining their grandchildren at their farm, the Moose Rump Ranch. The grandchildren spent their summer and winter vacations roaming the farm’s sagebrush range on four wheelers, riding Molly and Bandit, and being pulled behind Ed’s pickup on snow-covered roads down to the hobo camp for cooking chili and roasting marshmallows over a campfire. Papoo and Mamoo, as Ed and Barbara were known by their grandchildren, also loved to take the grandkids fishing, waterskiing, and camping. For thirty-six years they led the annual Morgan Family Campout at the Minam Campground, where floating the river was high on the list of entertainment.

In 2004, Ed and Barbara relocated to Colfax, WA, where they quickly became part of the community. They enjoyed following their grandchildren’s sporting events in Colfax, Spokane, and Pullman. Ed and Barbara also enjoyed fellowship at the Onecho Bible Church where they formed friendships that carried them through their final years.

As an educator, Ed had a huge impact upon endless numbers of students. He loved young people and wanted to see kids from all walks of life succeed. Ed looked for the potential in others. He didn’t look past people. He liked to recognize the waitress who served at a diner, the man who pumped gas, or the checker at the grocery store, and he taught his children and grandchildren to do the same. He recognized the worth and potential in others.

Ed was also a life-long guitar player, a skill he learned as a teenager in West Virginia. Ed especially loved to play music with his big brother Chuck. They were a great duo. Ed enjoyed sharing music with others, and, as a result, his grandchildren have a love of music, especially the bluegrass and country tunes they heard around the campfire at The Minam.

At the end of his life, Ed was the proudest of his family. Between 1953 and 1965 Ed and Barbara welcomed five children: Ed (wife Robyn), Carole (husband Grant Kitamura), Phillip (wife Sharon), Mike (wife Evanna), and Beth (husband Loren Guske). Ed often shared that life got better as the family expanded. His family was the greatest source of joy in his life.

Thank you, Dad, for being such a loving, supportive, and forgiving father. You were not perfect, but you were the best. We will miss you, Dad, but we know you are now at home with our Savior Jesus Christ, your beloved wife, and all of your siblings and friends.

Funeral Services will be held on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM at Onecho Bible Church. He will be laid to rest in the Colfax Cemetery.