William J. Morgan

William Jacob Morgan was born as Wolf (Yossel) Margulies on May 18, 1925, in Czernaiejow, Poland. He was the son of Etta and Itzhak Margulies and was one of seven children. Wolf was the only surviving family member of the Stanisławów Ghetto. He received no higher than a sixth-grade education, having graduated from the School of Hard Knocks. Bill spoke Polish, Yiddish, Ukrainian, German, Russian and English, all of which aided in his survival. After escaping the ghetto, he obtained a birth certificate from a Polish Christian, changed his name to Stefan Chesnowski, and found work as a Christian farmhand in Ukraine. In 1944, Stefan was drafted into the Russian army and was sent to the frontline. Stefan deserted the army and went back to the farm where he worked until his liberation at the end of the war in 1945. After the war Stefan moved to Germany and lived under the name Willi Weisberg. In 1949, at the age of 24, Willi was sponsored by a family in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, immigrated to the United States and changed his name to William Morgan. In Iowa, he lived at the YMCA and taught himself English by watching western movies, his favorite being Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger. Bill was employed as a janitor at a shoe store, working his way up to store manager. In 1950, Bill moved to Houston thinking he would meet Roy Rogers and Trigger. In Houston, Bill met Shirley Fallas, the girl next door, whom he convinced to leave her then fiancé and marry him. Bill established himself as a businessman, and together with Shirley, opened a downtown diner, then went into the meat business, and finally into real estate in 1960 under the named Globe Management, which later became The Morgan Group. Bill spent his retired years educating children and adults on the horrors of the Holocaust. He served on the boards of many Jewish organizations and was a founder of Holocaust Museum Houston, which opened in 1996 as The Morgan Family Center, but which he affectionately referred to as his “House of Love”. Bill’s entire life was dedicated to mastering the art of survival, leaving a larger-than-life legacy, and having used his success to give opportunity to others. Bill achieved much in his life but his greatest achievement was his and Shirley’s beautiful family. Bill is survived by his beautiful wife of 69 years, Shirley Morgan; his five children Ronnie Morgan (wife Marci Morgan), Michael Morgan (wife Patti Morgan), Mindy Finger (husband Steve Finger), Wendy Cohen (husband Howard Cohen), and Scott Morgan (wife Jayme Morgan), his fourteen grandchildren Erin Kaplan (husband Steven Kaplan), Phillip Morgan (wife Katie Morgan), Ryan Morgan, Stephanie Mendeloff (husband Jared Mendeloff), Blake Morgan, Russ Morgan, David Finger, Kimberly Cohen, Becca Cohen, Laura Morgan, Hannah Cohen, Lilly Gilford (husband Seth Gilford), Sax Morgan, and Ella Morgan; and eight great grandchildren, Brooke, Avery, and Chase Kaplan; Riley and Harper Mendeloff; Lucy Chase, Riley and Molly Morgan. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to Holocaust Museum Houston or a charity of your choice. A private burial was held.

William J. Morgan

May 18, 1925 - October 15, 2023