Ulynn Morton

ULYNN MORTON Ulynn Morton, 90, born in Cullman, Alabama on November 2, 1923, passed away in Panama City Beach, Florida on October 8, 2014 surrounded by his immediate family. Ulynn is survived in death by his 2 sons – Larry (Margaret) Morton of Crane Hill, Alabama and Butch Morton of Panama City Beach, Florida (Denise Morton of Cullman, Alabama); 3 grandchildren – Andrea (Patrick) Penn of Huntsville, Alabama, Trent (Kendra) Morton of Lafayette, Alabama, and Tanya Morton of Cullman, Alabama; 3 great-grandsons – Seth Penn, Samuel Penn, and Charly Penn, all of Huntsville, Alabama; 1 “soon -to-be” great-granddaughter – Caroline Allene Morton of Lafayette, Alabama; 1 Sister – Christine Kessler of Cullman, Alabama; and countless nieces, nephews, and friends. Ulynn was preceded in death by his loving wife of 66 years – Allene Morton; his parents – Nannie Jane “Babe” and James Morton of Cullman, Alabama; 2 brothers – J.R. Morton and Felton Morton both of Cullman, Alabama; 3 sisters – Virgie Brooks of Simcoe, Alabama, Chloe Reeves of Cullman, Alabama, and Wenell Walls of Cullman, Alabama. Ulynn began caring for others at a very young age. He began working to provide for his family shortly after his father died. Ulynn was only 13 or 14 after learning that he was the man of the house and needed to start working various jobs to help out his family. That early commitment to others carried on into his adult life. At the early age of 20, Ulynn was called away to the war raging in Europe (WWII) where he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was part of the 424th infantry regiment in the 106th division. He became an expert marksman in the 81 mm mortar (among all other weapons that he picked up), which led him to the job of forward observer. This was one of the more dangerous jobs, as it forced him to advance into enemy lines in order to call back enemy coordinates to his men. Needless to say, he was not popular with the enemy and he spent most of his time “pinned down” under enemy fire. However hazardous his job, he never faltered in his commitment to his country or his men. He was field-promoted to Staff Sergeant and became a squad leader because of his valiant and courageous leadership efforts. Ulynn was involved in most of the major battles in the war, including Northern France, The Ardennes Forest (more commonly referred to as “The Battle of the Bulge”), and the Rhineland. Altogether, Ulynn served courageously for 3 ½ years all the while away from home. He was offered a promotion to lieutenant if he would continue to serve, but love of family and a promise to his mama carried him back home (with numerous medals). While stationed at Camp Atterbury, in Indiana, (before he left for Europe), Ulynn met the love of his life, Allene (she was employed by the Indianapolis State Police Department). After Ulynn returned home from the war, Allene traveled by train from Indiana to Alabama to meet up with him. Shortly thereafter, they were married in Cullman, Alabama on August 31, 1946 and began their life together. While raising 2 boys, he was employed full-time by Ingram Farms where he was in charge of the service department, among other things. He continued working tirelessly for 44 years (well past retirement age) until his rheumatoid arthritis set in and would not allow him to work anymore. Once retired, he enjoyed traveling to various beaches and lakes, camping in the mountains in their travel trailer, hunting, fishing, and carpentry. Nonetheless, his real satisfaction came from “spoiling” all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After living in Cullman all of his life, he moved to Panama City Beach, Florida in November of 2011 to live out the rest of his days in the warm Florida sunshine and beside the beautiful sandy beaches. Ulynn was a devoted Christian, along with being a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather to all of his “little buddies”. At home, he was a brilliant carpenter and mechanic, where he could usually be found making all of his family beautiful furniture or repairing his sons’ or grandson’s vehicles. He would spend countless hours on the lake or in the woods teaching his grandchildren how to hunt and fish or just letting them “pester” him. He taught us more about life than any amount of formal education could ever provide. His church home was East Side Baptist Church where he regularly attended for 55 years. That was also where he learned how to live his life following Christ while being a blessing to others. Those who know him, realize that he definitely blessed everyone whom he came in contact with in some way. He will undeniably be missed always, but never forgotten. His life lessons will continue on from this generation forward. We can only hope to be half as loving, courageous, giving, and selfless as he was. He will continuously live forever in our hearts. He was a great man that went by many names (”Ulynn”, “Lynn”, “Hoover”, “daddy”, “pawpaw”, “grandpa”, or “great-paw”) that all add up to one connotation – Remarkable. Words cannot describe how much we will love you and miss you, but we will see you again one day in paradise for a great reunion. -Trent Morton (grandson) Visitation will be at Cullman Heritage Funeral Home Saturday, October 11, 2014 from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Funeral services will be held graveside at Cullman City Cemetery on Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 2:00 pm.

Ulynn Morton

November 2, 1923 - October 8, 2014