Morris Lee Brill Jr., 86, passed away Friday, May 17, 2024 in Atlanta. Morris was born in Ashland, Ala.

, on May 25, 1937. He grew up moving from town to town in East Tennessee while his father, Morris Senior, constructed towers for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). His family settled in Jackson, Tenn.

, for his formative years, but he always enjoyed returning to Ashland to visit family. Morris graduated from Jackson High School in May 1955. During his school years he was active in music – serving as Drum Major, singing with his beautiful tenor voice and skillfully playing piano and trombone.

He was a member of multiple honor societies. In June 1959, Morris received a double Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Chemistry from Lambuth College in Jackson. While at Lambuth, he was a charter member of Chapel and joined the Kappa Alpha fraternity.

Morris then attended two and one-half years of graduate school at the University of Tennessee (Memphis and Knoxville) with the intention of becoming a medical doctor. During this time, he met his future bride, Joycelene Lemmons, who was attending nursing school in Memphis. Morris married Joycelene on September 7, 1963 at Macon Christian Church in Memphis and the newlyweds soon moved to Lakeland, Fla.

, where Morris worked for the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company. Morris excelled at sales and frequently achieved top sales recognition for his region of Florida. The couple welcomed their first child, Morris Lee III, into the world in September 1.