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Employees grieve Brian Morris: 'Best. Guy. Ever.' |
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As North Dakota's Field Maintenance Manager, Morris was well respected and admired by his employees, co-workers, supervisors and peers. In sharing their memories of Morris, co-workers were overwhelmed with sadness as they recalled losing the man they called "the best guy ever." We could only print a sample of their memories here. Tim Gerhart, an electrical engineer who worked for Morris in Bismarck, said, "Brian and I go way back. I think electricity was invented about then. He is the finest man I have ever had the joy of working for. He had the unique ability of being able to be a firm manager and yet still have everyone as his friend. Best Guy Ever! I am not shy to say it. We loved the hell out of him. He always covered our back. He went to war many times for us–many times. And every day he would show up all full of joy and say 'Hi' to everyone. This is a tragic loss." Kevin Howard, Rocky Mountain’s Construction manager, agreed. He said, "He seemed to be universally respected as a friend, co-worker and manager. In the challenging position he was in, this is a testament to his great character." Lesley Berg, an electrical engineer in Huron, said, "I considered Brian my 'other' boss. Brian was always there to answer a question, listen to my concerns or just chat. His understanding and helpful nature made him an excellent manager and mentor. I will miss his leadership and mostly his friendship." When asked to share his thoughts about Morris, Jim Koehn, retired Substation Maintenance foreman, said, "You don’t have all day, do you?" Then he added, "He had people skills that no Western seminar could teach you. He could smile in just about any circumstance." Koehn recalled just how present Morris' sense of humor was everyday. "I remember one job at Jamestown. The temperature was 35 below zero. The ground needed to be excavated, and we needed to use a trencher to remove a block of earth, about 4 feet by 4 feet. Brian looked at the square piece of dirt we pulled up and jokingly asked, 'Where did we run across this concrete?' because the earth was so frozen. I laughed and laughed." David Duckworth, foreman II of the Devils Lake crew who worked for Morris, also recalled Morris' upbeat demeanor. He said, "He could always find the positive. And I will miss almost every Monday [when] he would call me and the first thing out of his mouth was 'How was your weekend?' followed by, 'How’s the crew doing?' He genuinely cared about our lives outside of Western." Morris' concern not only for his employees, but for the quality of his work is what Sid Paulson, safety and occupational health specialist in Huron, really appreciated. He said, "Brian wanted to see things himself so he had a better appreciation of the work being done. He was always proud of the crews and the work they accomplished. Brian tried to make you feel like you counted–that your job was important and to do it safely. Brian was truly one of the good guys!" His love for the outdoors is another quality his co-workers admired. UGP Communications Director Tom Price, who worked for Morris in Bismarck, agreed. He said, "I worked, bowled, golfed, fished, and hunted with Brian, and I can't remember him ever having a bad day. He loved what he was doing and where he lived; he always carried a 'quiet pride' with him–his family, his accomplishments, the size of the fish." Jim Bach, a public utilities specialist in Billings who nominated Morris for the Exceptional Service Award, echoed Price’s sentiments. "The first time I met him, I took him by the numerous rivers, lakes, sloughs and pheasant habitats in North Dakota. His enthusiasm visibly grew by leaps and bounds each time I pointed out another outdoor opportunity. Soon thereafter, he decided to accept the position–a decision he never regretted. "Brian was such an energetic guy who loved to have fun, and he lived his life jam-packed to the fullest each day. He was an extraordinarily capable manager, as well as my most faithful friend. Brian was a man who had a tremendous spirit of generosity that touched each person in our office in one way or another. His passing leaves an irreplaceable void in the Bismarck Office, as well as a big hole in all of our hearts."
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