Mr. Morton Willcher
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Mr. Morton Willcher

  • December 3, 1917 - December 1, 2011
  • Altamonte Springs, Florida
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Memories & Candles

“I enjoyed Mort a whole lot ”
1 of 2 | Posted by: Paul J Duclos - Washington, DC

“Your family is in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time. ”
2 of 2 | Posted by: Baldwin Fairchild West Altamonte Chapel


Morton Willcher, 12/3/1917 – 12/1/2011, passed away from complications of bladder cancer at the age of 94. He resided in Altamonte Springs, Florida, moving from Silver Springs, Maryland in the mid 70's. He joins his beloved wife Veronica at Highland Memorial Gardens where they will round dance in peace together. He is survived by his son, Geoff Willcher, and granddaughter Alexis Willcher. Morton was born in Washington, D.C. to Katherine and Jacob Willcher. He served with the U.S. Army in WWII in Australia and New Guinea. He worked as a residential home construction project manager and independent businessman.

Morton and Veronica's Life

One cannot speak of Morton's life without also speaking of Veronica, his bride. She was always his bride until the day he died. Dad met mom in Townsville, Australia. Dad was a soldier sent down from Washington, D.C. He met and courted Ronnie and was deeply devoted to her. Dad's real decline began when Ronnie had several strokes and had to be placed in a nursing home. The quality of his life changed forever and I don't think he could ever do enough for her. He visited her every day she was in the home until she passed a year and a half ago.
Dad was born in Washington, D.C. of Jacob and Katherine Willcher. His parents operated a mom and pop grocery store on M street near the Potomac River in D.C. He used to make and sell lunches to workers and sales persons in the immediate area. Everyone struggled in the depression. Dad's first love was chemistry. His parents had him complete a law degree. When the war came up, dad enlisted and eventually served in Australia, New Guinea and Papua. Although trained to work in the motor pool, with his typing skill and intelligence, he worked as the company clerk and supported the CO much like "radar o' reilly" in MASH. Dad served in an artillery company attached to General McArthur's HQ.
After the war dad returned home and began a career in sales. He sold Hotpoint appliances, Motorola products and other kinds of items. Dad eventually became a general contractor and built small apartment buildings and individual homes. He was meticulous and always tried to do the jobs the right way. As he got older, dad took the money he made from building and invested in the stock market. Using Warren Buffet's buy and hold strategy he was able to develop a portfolio sufficient to pay his bills. He was able to share this strategy with others who valued his advice.
Dad built a beautiful home for us in Potomac Maryland. I helped in small ways with this home at the time I was going to college. Mom and Dad were always very supportive of me and enabled me to complete a PhD in psychology. They gave me the tools to survive and prosper in this world.
Dad was disappointed with his older brother Arthur. Arthur exploited dad and hurt him as only a brother can. The two brothers met in court as adversaries. Arthur was eventually disbarred from the legal profession and he and dad lost contact.
Mom and Dad loved music and dancing. They started in square dancing and rapidly moved into round dancing. They were the most graceful pair you can imagine. I have seen them many times. They had a high level of skill and participated in national, regional and local events. You could tell that they were deeply into the dance whenever you watched them. They brought the music to life with their graceful movements.
A funeral is a time to remember a person's life, not to mourn their loss overly much. Dad was a gentle, sweet guy. He was playful. Even on the last day of his life he would "mug" his face to tease his caretakers. He enjoyed visiting the Wing House to flirt with the waitresses. His favorite request was to: "scratch my back." He could never get enough of that.

There are many humorous stories that dad produced. I remember:

The giant lizard – at the Army base in Australia, dad once told his friend Bill: "Don't move." Bill froze. Dad drew his .45 automatic pistol and took aim at Bill. At Bill's feet. Right between Bill's feet was a huge lizard head. Dad killed the lizard and awakened the whole camp. It turned out that the lizard was nearly all head and was not dangerous.
The most god awful noise you ever heard – Dad and his friends were on the beach relaxing one evening when suddenly an incredible noise erupted beside them, on the other side of some bushes. They dove into a latrine pit dug into the beach. It turns out that an anti-aircraft artillery unit was taking shots at "washboard Charlie" – a lone Japanese plane that sporadically threatened the town.
Halt. Who goes there? – In New Guinea, dad was on guard duty one evening. It was pitch black. Dad heard some rustling in the bushes. He cried out: "Halt. Who goes there?" The rustling continued. Dad yelled out: "Halt or I will shoot." The rustling continued. In the dark, dad fired his weapon. The camp immediately came awake. No enemy was found. In the morning it was found that dad had shot dinner for that evening. He had killed a wild pig.
Dad moves from contributing to our lives to being part of our memories. I hope to honor and give respect to his name with my life. Thank you Morton NMI for being my father. You taught me integrity, honor, to strive for highest quality and to learn what you did not know. You gave me many chances and although I was only able to advance on a few of them. I owe you my life.
Family
Morton Willcher is survived by his son – Geoffrey Willcher, PhD. -- and grand daughter – Alexis Willcher. Geoff Willcher moved from Issaquah, WA to establish his residence with Morton as the illness began to impact his life. Alexis is the daughter of Geoffrey

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