Monte Harrel Morgan
Dec. 19, 1950 Nov. 12, 2025
Monte Harrel Morgan, beloved brother, artist, teacher, and friend, died on Nov. 12, 2025, at the age of 74.
Monte was born on Dec. 19, 1950, to Rube Turner, Jr., and Gloria Wade Turner. When his mother remarried in 1951, Monte’s stepfather, Jack Morgan Sr. adopted him and his older sister. Monte grew into a man whose life was shaped — quite literally — by the earth beneath his hands. A gifted potter and devoted educator, he believed deeply that beauty belongs to anyone willing to slow down and notice the world. In every vessel he formed and every classroom he led, Monte invited others to see creation as an act of reverence, attention, and care.
Monte lived gently but firmly in resistance to the pressures placed on men to measure their worth through production or profit. His quiet defiance echoed the example of his father, RJ, a horseman whose strength came from patience, rhythm, and relationship rather than dominance. Like his father, Monte carried a tenderness the world did not always understand — one that endured, quietly and steadily, throughout his life. He grew to become one of the most wellread people those close to him had ever known, earning his education not only in classrooms but in the “college of life.” He traveled widely, made pottery, farmed garlic, taught at community college, and shaped a life rich in curiosity, craft, and connection.
Monte’s character shone most brightly in moments he never sought recognition for. As a young man living in military housing, he once witnessed an unattended car rolling downhill. Without hesitation, he dropped his motorcycle, ran after the car, and stopped it before it could cause harm. He quietly returned to his bike and rode away, and his family might never have known of his bravery had a bystander not shared the story.
It was a perfect portrait of who Monte was — capable, humble, and guided by an instinctive care for others.
In recent years, Monte made his home in Mexico, surrounded by friends, art, and landscapes that mirrored his spirit — expansive, warm, and full of color. Though distance separated him from his family, he remained a steady source of love. His sister Jane remembers his gentle smile, his thoughtful mind, and the steadfast tenderness that anchored their lives.
Monte’s life was one of noticing, creating, and quietly resisting a world that asked him to be something other than himself. When the night sky shimmers, those who loved him will look upward and think of him — light moving freely, just as he lived.
He is predeceased by his mother, father, adoptive father, and his oldest sister, Jeanie. Monte is survived by his sister, Irene, known professionally as Jane (Larry) Clark of Pennsylvania, sister Jolinda, (now known as Cameel) of Colorado, brother Jack (Natalie) Morgan II of Boerne, son Carson (Kristen) Morgan in New Mexico, granddaughter Adelynn, and various nieces and nephews.
— PAID OBITUARY —
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