Paul L. Morey

Paul LaZelle Morey, age 92, of Quincy, Illinois, died on Sunday, October 18, 2020, at 2:15 a.m. at Blessing Hospital. Paul was born October 7, 1928 in La Grange, Missouri, the son of Randall LaFon and Mabel Catherine Esslinger. He married Peggy Joan Shell on August 29, 1959 in Ferguson, Missouri. She survives. Survivors also include a daughter, Melanie Ann Cannon of Sun Prairie, WI; a son, Todd Randall Morey of Dardenne Prairie, MO; five grandchildren, Gabrielle Lyn and Hailey Ann Sasse, Grant Thomas, Lucille Christine and Olivia Anne Morey; a sister, Doris Jean Riutzel of Quincy; and numerous nieces and nephews. Paul was educated in the LaGrange, Missouri public schools. He received a bachelor of science degree from Culver Stockton College in 1950, completed advanced seminars at Harvard, Penn State, and University of Michigan. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity. Paul entertained many audiences during his school and college years as a tap dancer and accordionist. He also taught dancing and baton twirling in the Lewis County and Keokuk areas during that time. Paul retired from the railroad industry in 1987 after 37 years where he had been Dire...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

r of Personnel for the Missouri Pacific Railroad in St. Louis and General Director of Personnel at Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha, NE. Following his retirement from the railroad, he served as an Adjunct Professor of Business and the Director of Career Placement at Culver Stockton College for several years. Paul was a United States Army veteran of the Korean War, serving in Japan and Korea. He progressed through the enlisted and officer assignments to Adjutant General and Assistant Chief-of-Staff, G-1 of the Third Transportation Railway Brigade, St. Louis, and retired from the United States Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1981. He was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service among other decorations. He was a distinguished member of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps Regiment, Ft. Eustis, VA. Paul was a guest speaker at the LaGrange, Missouri 175th Birthday Celebration and at the Dedication of the La Grange Veterans' Memorial in May of 2007. He participated as a Korean War Veteran in the Great River Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., accompanied by his son, in June of 2012. Paul was a member of Vermont Street United Methodist Church, a weekly volunteer at Blessing Hospital, a member of the Golden "K" Kiwanis, Quincy Elks Lodge, Spring Lake Country Club, and a resident of Quincy for over 30 years. Paul loved his family, the small-town values of his youth, and the thrill of his "hole-in-one" golf game at Spring Lake. Throughout his career, Paul maintained membership in the Midwest and Southwest College Placement Associations, College Placement Council, American Management Assn., Industrial Relations Assn. of St. Louis, and served as vice president of the St. Louis Chapter of the National Defense Transportation Assn., and director and president of the Railroad Industry's Personnel Assn. He served in 1993 as executive vice president of the Industrial Assn. of Quincy, and as a board member of Spring Lake Country Club, the Quincy Civic Music Association, and the Golden "K" Kiwanis. Paul was recognized in Who's Who in Railroading and he and Peggy enjoyed extensive travel worldwide on many ocean cruises and land tours. Services: 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 22, 2020 at Vermont Street United Methodist Church with Rev. Patty Johansen officiating. Please bring a face mask if you plan to attend the service. Burial: Sunset Cemetery, Quincy, Illinois with full military honors by American Legion Post 37 and the United States Army Honor Detail. Visitation: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at Hansen-Spear Funeral Home. Please bring a face mask if you plan to attend the visitation. Memorials: Culver Stockton College Business Department or Vermont Street United Methodist Church www.hansenspear.com Hansen-Spear Funeral Directors are in charge of the arrangements.