Master craftsman, restorer of antique buildings and furniture
William Morrison. (Courtesy photo)
William Andrew Morrison, born Aug. 20, 1960, in Augusta, Maine, died Oct. 23, 2021, at Mass General Hospital, surrounded by his wife, Linda Merrill Morrison, friends, and family.
William grew up in Harvard from 1966 to 1980. He attended Hildreth Elementary School and the Bromfield School, pitched many seasons in town baseball, later graduating from junior high at the Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, New Hampshire, followed by Middlesex School in Concord. Will settled in Exeter, New Hampshire, where he and his wife raised their four children. His remarkable aptitude and appreciation for the restoration of historical barns and buildings had its genesis in a childhood spent in Harvard, and it very much informed his art and craft as a contractor and builder, timber-framing and restoring historically significant properties throughout New England. In retirement he had a thriving business buying, selling, and restoring midcentury modern furniture.
William was predeceased in 2018 by his mother Patricia R. Morrison of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, and by his eldest brother Cleveland Craig Morrison in 1980. He is survived by his daughter Sophia Ayer Morrison of Brooklyn, New York; stepson Teddy (Keri) Caldwell; grandson Austin Bade Caldwell of Epping, New Hampshire; stepdaughters Christina Banning Caldwell of Eliot, Maine, and Heidi Bolt (Luke) Drouin and granddaughter Annaleigh Bolt Drouin of Wells, Maine. He is also survived by his father Capt. Dexter C. Morrison and stepmother Juliet Morrison of Brunswick, Maine; sisters Lisa (Michael) Spiller of Sandia Park, New Mexico, Amy Morrison (Dido) of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Kate (Charlie) Dayoub of Kansas City, Missouri; brother Cmdr. James B. (Sarah) Morrison, U.S. Navy, of Stuttgart, Germany; stepbrother David (Laura) Propert of London, England; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Frog charmer, apple aficionado, wood wizard, master craftsman-restoration artist, builder of period molding, coffered ceilings and spiral staircases, tele meister, campsite decorator, Apache trucker, guitar string bender, twang music fan, Janga truck packer, MCM hunter/gatherer, striped bass whisperer, pie baker, American Spirit smoker, master golfer, flower and bloom coaxer, bike customizer, Deadhead, mentor to many, beloved and loyal friend, son, father, brother, devoted husband and infinitely more … so loved and so missed.
A celebration of his life will be held in late May in Exeter, New Hampshire, when the lilacs are blooming.
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