Kenneth “Kenny D Wayne” Morrison

May 23, 1953 ~ October 29, 2026 (age 73)

Kenneth “Kenny D Wayne” Morrison passed away on October 29, 2026, in Denton, Texas,
surrounded by his “beautiful girls” — his wife, Stacy, and daughters, Micah and Kenzie — along
with a host of devoted caregivers and friends whose lives he had touched.
Ken Morrison was not a man easily captured in words or a simple a narrative to be told.
Ken was an experience.

The King of the Superlative, Ken lived in a world of bests and worsts, extraordinary adventures,
outsized opinions, and unwavering convictions. He was headstrong, brilliant, passionate,
occasionally exasperating, and sometimes frustratingly correct. He possessed a booming voice, a
commanding presence, an extraordinary mind, and a personality that simply could not be
contained.
Ken did nothing halfway. Not business. Not adventure. Not music. Not friendship. And certainly
not love.

He lived life big.

Born in Abilene, Texas, to Grady and Modene Morrison, Ken grew up with his two older sisters,
Kathy and Karen. He attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville, a place that made such a
lasting impression on him that, after a lifetime of building businesses and pursuing adventures,
he chose to return to Stephenville for his retirement.
Ken’s entrepreneurial spirit took root early in life. As a boy, he worked in his father’s business,
painting, welding cylinders, and driving trucks by the age of fourteen. Following college, he
joined his father in establishing AWISCO (Abilene Welding and Industrial Supply Company),
beginning a remarkable career in the industrial gas and welding supply industry. His pioneering
journey eventually led to a joint venture with Praxair and the creation of Westair Gas &
Equipment, the crowning achievement of his professional life.
Ken was the ultimate businessman: intelligent, resourceful, visionary, and wise. He understood
the value of a dollar, the importance of hard work, and the power of surrounding himself with the
right people. In one of his final interviews, when asked to share his greatest piece of advice,
Ken’s answer was characteristically direct: “Avoid debt, watch your cash flow, and surround
yourself with good people.”

And that he did.

Beyond the boardroom, Ken was every bit as extraordinary. He rode broncs and broke horses,
played a mean round of golf, and could still drive the ball 300 yards well into his late fifties. He
loved to sing and dance, and he did both beautifully, with a style that was unmistakably his own.

Ken’s life was filled with adventures and unexpected chapters. He became a father again at 53,
welcoming his beloved “Honey Baby,” Makenzie, into the world. It was another remarkable
season of life, one in which his age-seasoned wisdom reminded him to savor the fleeting joys of
childhood and the simplest pleasures of fatherhood — including meeting Kenzie at the bus stop
to make certain no one picked on his little girl. In a beautiful full-circle expression of their bond,
his Honey Baby became his caregiver extraordinaire in his final days, tending to him with the
same fierce love and devotion he had given her throughout her life.

He loved Morrison OM Acres, the home and life he and his wife, Stacy, created together. It was a
place of family gatherings, hard work, laughter, music, and love. Whether working around the
property, enjoying the outdoors, or simply being surrounded by the people he cherished, Ken
took immense pride in the life they had built.

Ken’s faith was as individual and independent as the man himself. His relationship with God was
personal, deeply held, and decidedly his own. He found a kindred spirit in the George Jones song
Me and Jesus, with its declaration that faith needed no intermediary or explanation. Ken loved
God in his own way, with the same conviction, sincerity, and independence that defined every
other part of his life. He was never one to let someone else tell him what to believe or how to
believe it.

For all his professional accomplishments and larger-than-life adventures, Ken’s capacity for love
was perhaps his greatest gift. He loved passionately, fully, vocally, and without reservation. He
was never a man to leave his affection unspoken. He celebrated those he cherished, offered his
wisdom freely, and had a remarkable ability to make people feel extraordinary.
Even in his final days, when disease had taken so much of his physical strength and
independence, that capacity for love remained. As he waited for Stacy to arrive, he told his
caregivers he was waiting for his “beautiful bride.” It was a tender reminder that beneath the
formidable businessman, the rugged cowboy, and the King of the Superlative was a man whose
heart was every bit as remarkable as his accomplishments.

Ken’s final years were marked by the devastating challenges of frontotemporal dementia and
corticobasal degeneration, a rare and progressive neurological disease. True to form, even his
decision to donate his brain to further scientific research became an extraordinary undertaking.
The brain bank was eager to receive such a rare donation, only to find itself navigating a battle
with the state of Texas to arrange for his tissues to cross state lines. It was, in every sense, a
classic Kenny D Wayne story. Even his final contribution to the world would be anything but
ordinary.

But Ken’s disease never became the whole of who he was.
Even as his physical abilities diminished, his personality, humor, wisdom, and humanity
continued to leave their mark. During his time in memory care, Ken formed extraordinary
relationships with the people who cared for him. He became a father figure, a mentor, a friend, a
laughing partner, and a source of encouragement to people whose lives might otherwise never
have intersected with his.

At Ken’s final bedside, one young chef spoke of the profound impact Ken had made on him,
remembering how Ken recognized and appreciated the meals he prepared. It was a small gesture
that revealed something immense about the man. Even as his own world became smaller, Ken
continued to make the worlds of others a little bigger.

As his life drew to a close, his family and his extended family of caregivers gathered around him
in full force. They came not simply to say goodbye to a resident or a patient, but to honor a man
who had become part of their lives and who had changed them for the better.
And in one of his final evenings, surrounded by the voices of those who loved him, Ken was still
trying to join in the singing. Among the songs was Amazing Grace. Even on his deathbed, the
man who had spent a lifetime making music was still finding a way to sing.

It was quintessential Ken. He never did anything halfway, not even saying goodbye.
Ken’s greatest legacy lives on in the family he loved and the lives he touched. He is survived by
his wife, Stacy Morrison; his four children, Melinda “Mindy” Morrison (Jessica), Jason
Morrison, Micah Morrison, and Makenzie Morrison; and his grandchildren, Jaylee Morrison,
Jack Garvey, and Sloan Garvey. He is also survived by his sister, Karen Forbes (Ocie); his brother-in-law, Jeral Davis; and extended family and a remarkable circle of friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Grady and Modene Morrison, and his sister, Kathy Davis.

Visitation and Funeral Services

Visitation will be held Monday, November 2, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at Lacy Funeral Home, 1380 N.
Harbin Drive, Stephenville, Texas 76401. A celebration of Ken’s life will follow at 2:00 p.m. in
the funeral home chapel, with graveside services immediately afterward at West End Cemetery in Stephenville.

Memorial Donations

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to Morning Star Ranch, an
organization that uses the healing power of horses to enrich the lives of at-risk youth. Through
weekly horsemanship lessons, these young people develop confidence, responsibility, trust, and
valuable life skills while learning to care for and safely handle horses. For a man who spent
much of his life owning and riding horses and appreciating the remarkable bond between horses
and people, supporting this mission is a fitting way to honor Ken’s memory and help make a
lasting difference in the lives of children.

Memorial donations may be made at https://msranch.org/.

Ken Morrison’s was a life too big to be contained in an obituary, a personality too extraordinary
to be adequately described, and an influence too far-reaching to be measured.

The world will no longer hear that magnificent, booming voice as it once did. But those who
loved him will hear it always — in their hearts, in their memories, in the wisdom he shared, in
the laughter he inspired, and in the countless ways he changed their lives for the better.
Ken was not simply a great man to remember.
He was an extraordinary man to have known.
He is most treasured of men and always will be.