Wendell Lamar Morgan, 79, passed away on December 10, 2021.
Graveside Service and interment will be held at 12:00PM Tuesday, December 14, 2021 in the Beulah Cemetery near Weir, MS. Visitation will be from 9:30AM until 11:30AM on Tuesday December 14, 2021 at Coleman Funeral Home in Ackerman, MS. He was born on October 22, 1942, to Annie Beatrice Morgan and Philip Young (P.Y.) Morgan, and raised in the Panhandle of rural Choctaw County. He grew up alongside his brother, Melvin Morgan, in the aisles of their family's Texaco station. It was inevitably within the Texaco that Wendell developed the knack of never meeting a stranger. To call him "long-winded" would be a huge understatement, but he loved people and discovering a common connection. He wanted to learn every detail about waitresses and servers wherever he ate out. The common household chore of running to the grocery store was a favorite past time. Each aisle was another opportunity to run into an old friend.
As a 1960 graduate of Weir High School, he was the pitcher for the baseball team. Wendell continued his education at Holmes Junior College while also lettering in baseball. He went on to earn a B.A. in History at his beloved Mississippi State University in 1964. After graduation, he took a job with a petroleum company, which took him across the country before his final job placement in Kuwait.
Wendell married Thelma Sue Black on September 3, 1965. Together they had one child, Staci Allison, whom he imparted his love of baseball, old game shows, and Mississippi State. After his retirement, he opened the Weir Country Cafe which served as the unofficial headquarters for all Weir High School football tailgates, coffee clubs, and home of his famous desserts. On most mornings, you could find him and the locals either solving the world's problems or fighting over Mississippi State sports.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Thelma Sue Black; his daughter, Staci Morgan (Ryan Gunderson) of Arlington, Virginia; two sisters-in-law, Julia Weeks of Philadelphia, and Katherine Black of Weir; as well as nieces and nephews, Patrick Black of Jackson, Mary Katherine Black Snead of Madison, Debby Weeks Kimbrough of Madison, Becky Weeks King of Philadelphia, Tony Weeks of Pearl, Vicky Oller of Monticello, Gary Morgan of Quitman, and Connie Philips of Oil Springs, Ontario.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Beulah Cemetery Fund (1410 Weir-McCool Road, McCool, MS 39108) or the Panhandle Community Center (2147 Fentress-Panhandle Road, McCool, MS 39108).