Mort’s Story

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Journal entry by Marilyn Morrison

For anyone who’s interested, here are the five beautiful, heartfelt eulogies from Dad’s funeral on Monday.

Alan Morrison (Mort’s son):

A guy gets a call from his doctor.  The doctor says, “I have your test results.”  The guy says, “Oh wow, ok.  What are they?”  The doctor says, “Well, I have good news and bad news.  Which would you like to hear first?”  The guy says, “What do you mean you have good news and bad news?  Just tell me the results.”  The doctor says, “I’d be happy to, but once again, I have good news and bad news.  Which would you like to hear first?”  The guy says, “Ugh, ok, all right.  Uh, tell me the good news first.”  The doctor says, “You have an inoperable brain tumor, and you have only one week to live.”  The guy says, “Oh my God!  That’s horrible!  This is the worst news I’ve ever heard.”  The guy thinks for a second and says, “Wait a second – you said that was the good news.  If that was the good news, then what could possibly be the bad news?”  The doctor says, “I tried to call you last week.”

 

That was one of my dad’s jokes.  

To know my father was to enjoy his jokes.  He had thousands of them.  So many, in fact, that it took him 91 years to tell them all.  Most of them were funny.  Many were great.  And, some jokes, well, some were ill-advised.  I would actually tell him so midway through the jokes, but he finished them anyway.

Dad always knew that humor is power.  He knew that humor is the power to lift the human spirit.  It’s the power to form bonds.  And it’s the power to leave others happier than before.  For his entire life, he used that power generously with family, friends, and strangers alike.

 

Dad could also process thoughts and emotions remarkably fast.

 

When I was nine years old, Dad decided it was no longer worth spending five dollars for each of my fancy haircuts.  Instead – wait for it – he decided to cut my hair all by himself – without witnesses, without a permit, and without remorse. 

 

Each time he cut my hair, I cried.  I cried before, during, and after the haircut.  You would have cried too!

 

For about a week or two afterward, I really wanted to talk with him about what had just happened and the human rights issues it raised.  Dad would have none of that.  He was mystified that after five whole minutes, I was still dwelling on the past.  I was mystified that he wasn’t.

 

Clearly, I didn’t get it when I was nine.  I just didn’t understand him.  Looking back many years later, though, I realized that this ability to switch gears fast and move on to the next thing was one of his best – and most defining – traits.

 

Make no mistake – Dad was loaded with emotion.  He cried just like the rest of us.  He got mad just like the rest of us.  He just got over it faster.

 

Dad could move ahead rapidly, free of emotional clutter from five minutes ago.  This ability helped him pursue business ventures as he saw fit.  It helped him build a home – and a life – with Teresa in Santa Fe.  And it helped him travel the world with her many times over, laptop in hand.

 

Dad’s gift for quickly moving on with things helped him live the life he wanted to live, until death itself told him to stop.

 

  

Rich Fogel (Mort’s son-in-law):

If Mort were a superhero, he’d be known as “Superlative Man.”  Why?  Because if you asked him about anything he’d done lately, whether it was a trip he’d been on or a meal he’d eaten or a play he’d seen, he’d always get a twinkle in his eye and beam with that infectious smile and say, “Oh, it was fantastic!  It was the best!”  Didn’t matter what it was, for Mort, it was always “The Best!”

 

And that was Mort.  He had this enormous appetite for life and was always eager to sample anything that was new and different.  He loved good food, good wine, and good company… In fact, if you look up Bon Vivant in the dictionary, you should find a smiling picture of Mort there.  He was the very definition of the term! 

 

As you’ve already heard, he had so many different careers, from broadcaster, to restauranteur, to commodity broker to financial advisor.  And they all required him to get up before the sun even came up!  Oy!  But for Mort this was no problem, because it allowed him to cram every bit of joy into each day.  He’d grab each new experience with those strong, enormous hands and savor it with endless enthusiasm.

 

And his joy was infectious.  People were just naturally drawn to his booming voice and his gregarious personality.  Even in his last days in the hospital, he was still making friends with the doctors and nurses with his endless jokes.  When the doctor said, “Mort, how do you feel?”  Mort said, “With my hands!” One of the nurses even said, “You’re so cute!  Will you be my grandpa?”

 

Mort brought an intense focus and passion to everything that he tried.  Whether it was travel, photography, baking, or music, he never did anything half-way.  He stuck with it, until he mastered them all.  A few years ago, he became obsessed with a game on his cell phone called “Candy Crush!”  He was so focused on beating the game that Teresa had to yell at him and say “Mort!  Put down your phone!”  I tried to break him of that addiction by introducing him to another game called “1010!”  Unfortunately, that backfired, because he became even more addicted to that game.  Sorry about that, Teresa.  He was so competitive that he was always asking what my high score was, but I avoided the question because he wouldn’t sleep if he couldn’t beat it.  By the way, my current high score is 211,944.

 

But, by far, Mort’s biggest passion was his family.  He was enormously proud of his children and his grandchildren, and he never missed an opportunity to brag about them.  And you can see a lot of Mort in each of his kids.  Marilyn got his intense focus and organizational skills.  Ruth got his love of music and baking.  Alan got his endless curiosity and wry sense of humor.  And Jennifer is a “people person” who got his open and embracing social skills.  You can see these qualities in his grandchildren, as well. 

 

So, the party goes on, and Mort is still very much with us in spirit.  What can you say about a superlative life so full of love and laughter and adventure?  Just one thing… “Mort, you’re the best!”

 

  

Emily Rosado-Solomon (Mort’s granddaughter):

My grandfather had many wonderful qualities, several of which you’ve already heard about today. He had a joie de vivre that was infectious, he excelled in business, he was talented at a million things, he was the only person who planned vacations as far in advance as I do, and he loved his family so, so much.

But many of you know this already, so today I’m here to tell you what it was like to be Mort’s granddaughter. In short, it was the best. My husband and I interviewed him about his childhood several years ago, and he spent a significant amount of time reminiscing about his grandparents. His bubbie catered to his, quote, every gastronomic whim—apparently, many of them involving pumpernickel bread and plum jam—so it’s no surprise that many of my favorite memories of Grandpa Mort also involve food. The food, though, was symbolic of something even more impressive: my grandfather’s unrivaled ability to make people feel special, in both small and grand gestures. That is what I hope to hold onto most from my memories of him.

As an example, one weekend in my early 20s our extended family gathered from all over the country for a bar mitzvah. We were gathered the night before and deciding where to go for dinner. Most of the family wanted to go to a fancy dinner, which in retrospect, was obviously the appropriate choice. But my brother and I really wanted to go to our favorite casual pizza restaurant in California, because it was a quick trip, and if we didn’t go that night, we wouldn’t have had time to go.

Before I had time to register my disappointment, my grandfather stepped in and said he had a solution. He would take me and my brother to pizza, everyone else could go to the fancy restaurant, and we’d meet up afterwards. That’s still one of my favorite meals of all time, because in the midst of a big whirlwind trip, we got a couple hours of quiet time to tell jokes with my grandpa. And I felt so special.

Up until the end, my grandfather, together with Teeda, his amazing partner in crime, never stopped making me feel special. After a long and tiring vacation last May, they flew to New Jersey for 48 hours to see me get my PhD, even though it must have been a physically exhausting trip for Grandpa because of all the walking involved in a big university graduation. And the last time I saw him healthy, when we invited him and Teeda over for casual takeout dinner at our house on their way to Santa Fe, they walked in with my son’s first bike, for absolutely no occasion, and my son got to feel as special as Grandpa had always made me feel. And that was the best gift of all.

And I can only hope that as I go through life, I can make my people feel just as special as I felt when I was with Grandpa. Thank you for everything, Grandpa Mort. I love you.



Adam Rosado (Mort’s grandson):


There are a lot of things that made my grandfather an incredible man. He excelled in multiple careers. He never stopped taking up new hobbies and learning new things. He traveled the world, had a large and loving family, and lived a life that can only be described as extraordinary.

Looking back, what I’ll remember most and what I find most inspiring was his unbridled joy and wonder at everything life had to offer. This was especially evident in his love of music. Every time he and Teeda came to visit, there was always a scene that was more or less the same. Grandpa would sit in our living room and tell me, “Adam, I saw such and such a musician perform recently, and let me tell you: it was absolutely wonderful. Simply marvelous.” 

But it was never just a musical performance he was excited to tell us about: It was the last trip he took. The newest restaurant he’d been to. The time he spent with the family and friends he’d just visited. His love of life was always obvious. You could always see the happiness in his face when we were all together on his birthday, hear it in his voice when he told me about a symphony performance, sense it as he reminisced about all of the amazing things he had seen and done. 

As I remember my grandfather today, I don’t just think about what he did in life, although he did do quite a lot. I think about HOW he lived his life: with joy and excitement and a unique sense of wonder that I will truly miss. Thanks for all the memories, Grandpa. They were all absolutely wonderful. Simply marvelous.

  

Isaac Lewis (Mort’s grandson):

“So there I was, 30,000 feet in the air, flat on my back, both engines gone, falling, falling fast. No parachute. Only one way down...” As Grandpa would say. Grandpa Mort loved a good laugh and a good story, and anyone listening would love it, too. Ish Kabibble Kadiddlehopper, doolyboober, “what” jokes, and Lewis Lumber Co. tree puns are some of the biggest jokes the Lewis family shared with Grandpa. He is at the root of our family’s sense of humor. He just couldn't leaf it alone. And we all loved the sound of his big bark. 

Among other amazing trips, my family and I shared 16 great summer vacations in Lake Tahoe with Grandpa Mort and Teeda. These trips were extra special for us because we got to spend so much time together going to the beach, relaxing, playing games, eating, and spending so much quality time. I now appreciate all those long conversations about whatever was on our minds.

 

In recent years we enjoyed sharing stories. I loved discussing magic tricks, recent Broadway shows we had seen, and I always had a good laugh over who could say Ish Kabibble Kadiddlehopper first.

 

Alex loved to talk with him about everything: technology, books, and even selling llamas.

 

TJ and Grandpa shared a love of cooking, leather and woodwork, movies and the arts.

 

My dad and Grandpa shared a love of sarcasm and entertaining wait staff. They fought to be the loudest in the room, but Grandpa often won.

 

My mom shared a love of photography with Grandpa, as well as a love of cooking, and hilarious parenting. She shared so many adventures with her father such as skiing, hiking, and even hot air ballooning.

 

I'm going out on a limb here and saying that Grandpa helped us all grow into the people we are today. You are our roots and we are your branches.

 

And Grandpa, this is just for you… photosynthesis.

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