Frank E. Morrelli Jr., 66, of Sweet Home died of liver cancer in the early morning of April 3, 2009.
He was born April 3, 2009 in Compton, Calif., to Frank E. and Bessie (McKee) Morrelli. He married Linda Lorette in June of 1963. They have two sons, Michael and Scott.
He attended school in the Compton School District, graduating from Dominguez High School in 1960. He then went on to Compton Community College where he received his associate’s degree in science. In 1977 he graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Redlands.
Mr. Morrelli participated in the Boy Scouts of America program from Cub Scouts through Eagle Scout. His troop specialized in outdoor adventures. They hiked the John Muir Trail, went from rim to rim in the Grand Canyon, as well as many other smaller hikes.
In 1966 Mr. Morrelli was hired by Lynwood Police Department. He completed his academy and was an officer on the street by the time of the birth of their first son, Michael. He was very proud of being a police officer, as it was his childhood dream.
While the Morellis lived in Lakewood, Calif., their second son, Scott, was born. Soon after, Mr. Morrelli transferred to Huntington Beach Police Department, where he worked for the next 17 years before retiring in 1983.
During his police career he was trained in crime scene investigation, crime photography and was a senior training officer. He participated in the research and development of a computerized vehicle location system so that dispatch would know exactly where every patrol car was at every moment. It was state-of-the-art electronics at the time. He received several commendations for his outstanding police work.
In 1997 the family moved to a home in Norco, Calif., where they raised horses, beef cattle, hogs, rabbits and turkeys. The family was involved in 4-H for many years. Mr. Morrelli helped with the annual barbecues and other club projects. The family raised puppies for guide dogs for the blind and one dog, Cartwright, successfully completed his guide dog training in San Rafael, Calif., and was a working guide dog for eight years.
After suffering a back injury while on the job, Mr. Morrelli took a medical retirement from Huntington Beach Police Department in 1983. He completed vocational rehabilitation at DeVry School of Electronics, then went to work for Hughes Aircraft in Anaheim for six years. While at Hughes Aircraft he worked on the SubEx program which was featured in the movie “Hunt for Red October.” It was state of the art submarine detection system installed in the United States nuclear submarines.
While visiting their sons, who had moved to Sweet Home in the early 1990s, the Morellis found a piece of property in the Holley area that was perfect for retirement. They moved to Sweet Home in 1993 and have worked on their tree farm ever since.
While in Sweet Home, Mr. Morrelli volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and helped build four houses from the ground up. He was a volunteer at the Oregon Jamboree. He enjoyed spending time with his sons, their wives, his granddaughters and family. He liked fishing on Foster Lake, helping friends and neighbors, and traveling.
Mr. Morrelli is survived by his wife, Linda; sons Michael and wife Kathy of Salem, and Scott and wife Lauren of Sweet Home; two granddaughters; and uncle Bert Earl McKee of Kyburz, Calif.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1155 22nd Ave.
Final burial will be at Gilliland Cemetery. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.