Athens - John Walter Morrison passed away on February 4, 2026, at the age of 85. He lived a life marked by adventure, conviction, and a deep love for humanity — all grounded in the place he called Blackjack. That was home. It was his root system. He knew the trees, the wildlife, the lay of the land, and even the water aquifer beneath it. He could tell you what kind of chestnut tree was growing on the hill — and why it was unusual to find it there.

Born on October 16, 1940, John was part of a Henderson County family whose ties to clay and brickmaking reached back to the 19th century. He carried that heritage forward through his work with Morrison Ceramics and as President of Blackjack Clay Company in Murchison, Texas.

Under his leadership, the company mined, processed, and refined industrial-scale clays used by tile manufacturers, cementing companies, and commercial potteries such as Blue Frog and Marshall Pottery. Stoneware base clay pulled directly from the filter presses in Murchison supplied operations across Texas and beyond. Blackjack clay could even be found in Potter Brown's studio in Edom and his cousin Martha Lewis Sullivan's local pottery- Country Memory Pottery in Blackjack. John understood both the tradition of the craft and the science behind the material.

He loved experimenting as much as producing. He and Linda often worked side by side creating Raku pottery, using newspaper and a blow torch to produce a reducing atmosphere that caused glazes to bloom into metallic lusters. He approached ceramics not merely as business, but as exploration.

John's engineering instincts extended well beyond pottery. Drawing from his knowledge of filtration and manufacturing, he helped establish a factory in China producing water filtration systems that would ultimately serve communities in places such as Haiti and Guatemala. He took pride in building things that worked — and worked where they were needed most.

In 2000, John was granted a United States patent for an innovative kiln design that improved access and functionality in ceramic firing. The patent reflected the way his mind worked: he was always solving, refining, building, and improving. He was equally comfortable with machinery, material, and men.

John also served in the United States Air Force during the Cold War era as a boom operator aboard the KC-97 Stratotanker with Strategic Air Command. He carried deep respect for his service and often shared stories from those years in the air. The discipline, responsibility, and calm under pressure he developed there remained with him throughout his life.

Above all, John was a father who believed in accountability, resilience, and earning your place. He valued work done well and words kept. Those who knew him understood that he stood firmly in what he believed and expected strength of character from himself and others.

John was preceded in death by his parents, William P. "Bud" Morrison, Sr. and Henrietta Morrison; his brother, William Pinkney Morrison, Jr.; his son, Timothy Lee Morrison; and his former wife, Linda Joyce Neal Morrison.

He is survived by his sons, Dan Morrison and his wife Isabel, and Michael "Mo" Morrison and his wife Ginger; his daughter-in-law, Erika Morrison; his grandchildren, William Hunter Morrison, Brittany Cantu, Molli Morrison, Emilli Milstead and her husband Jarrod Milstead, Natalie Gould and her husband Trey Gould, John Patrick Vaclavik, Adriana Morrison, Katherine Morrison, Breeona Parnell and her husband Mark Parnell, Gabe Gross and his wife Alex Gross, and Marissa Fitzgerald and her husband Trevor Fitzgerald; his thirteen great-grandchildren; his sons' mother, Janie Cole Poncik; his brother, Mike Morrison and his wife Sandra; his sister, Sue Morrison Smrcina (preceded in death by her husband, John); his sister-in-law, Janie Morrison; several additional grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom he considered his own; and several beloved nieces and nephews, along with extended family and friends.