Joseph Hicks Morrison - Cremation Society of Virginia

Joseph Hicks Morrison

August 7, 1961 - May 19, 2023

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

250 Fox Fill Road

Hampton, VA 23669

757-851-2838 |

Sunday 5/28, 3:30 pm

Joseph Hicks Morrison, 61, passed away on May 19, 2023. Born in Parkersburg, WV to Joseph A. and Linda Morrison (née Hicks), he spent his childhood in Mineral Wells, WV and graduated from Parkersburg South High School in 1979. He went on to complete a Bachelor and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He served his entire career at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, where his many accomplishments included: Founding Manager of the Langley midrange supercomputer, co-developing the NASA Standard for Modeling and Simulation, and becoming Associate Director for Modeling and Simulation. He also had a major influence on many international teams which led to work on NATO-related projects, giving him the opportunity to travel extensively to many countries, something he greatly enjoyed and often was able to share with his family. His hobbies included traveling to Blacksburg in the fall for Hokie football games and applying his engineering acumen to various home renovation projects. He was always up for a road trip to anywhere and had an uncanny ability to navigate that those traveling with him greatly appreciated.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Kelly; son, Joseph C. Morrison (Alexa); daughter, Audrey D.Watson (Rob); granddaughter, Harper R. Watson; parents, Joseph and Linda Morrison; sisters, Natasha Adams (Bill) and Kelly Morrison; brother, Jonathan B. Morrison (Cyndi); nieces, Jessica, Lauren, Elisabeth, Adrian; nephews, Stephen, Jonathan, Austin; and numerous grand nieces & nephews.

A Service of the Word and celebration will take place at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 250 Fox Hill Rd, Hampton, VA on Sunday, May 28, 2023 at 3:30 PM. A reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Memorial Fund at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church (https://gloriadeilutheranchurch.net/).

Cremation Society of Virginia

Andreas Krumbein

George B. Beeler

Ed Tinoco

Odilyn Luck

Susan Humble

Jim Matthews

Angie Higgins

Benny Lunsford

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Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

250 Fox Fill Road

Hampton, VA 23669

757-851-2838 | Map

Sunday 5/28, 3:30 pm

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Please accept my deepest sympathy for Joe. I have known Joe for over 30 years, since my early career days at NASA, and always found him to be one of the most thoughtful, perceptive and friendly people I have ever met. His presence was always inspiring and he will be missed but never forgotten.

In memory of Joseph Hicks Morrison, Andreas Krumbein lit a candle

The news comes as a great shock to me. Joe chaired a NATO STO AVT group and I had the privilege to work with him. I remember him as highly friendly and attentive person and it was always a pleasure to see him on a conference. I will miss him. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. Andreas Krumbein, DLR (German Aeropsace Center), Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology

I am so sorry and saddened to hear about Joe. He was a wonderful colleague, collaborator, supervisor and friend and will miss him terribly. My condolences to you and all who knew and love him.

I am so sorry for your loss. The wit and intelligence that Joe hasd was epic and made him a delight to know. The world lost a bright light.

Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.

Morrison family, my deepest condolences. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I had the privilege of working with Joe for several years on the TTT Project. His contributions and insight made those around him better at their jobs and the project and NASA better as a whole. And he did all this while making us laugh at the same time. Joe will be greatly missed by his NASA family.

Kelly and family, please accept my condolences at the loss of Joe! The memorial service was beautiful, and glorified Christ and shed insights into Joe's heart beyond the workplace, and your family's love of him. I worked with Joe on and off for the last 10 years, and appreciated his ability to challenge groupthink and to lead by example in doing what was right. His presence is missed in NASA, and I am thankful for his service to his country and the reflection of your family's love he gave to us. I pray the Lord will carry you with His love and peace and strength in your loss, Dan Williams

Please, let me express my deepest condolences. I have been privileged to work with Joe in the international AIAA CFD Drag Prediction Workshop since 2003 and recently in a NATO STO AVT group. I have greatly appreciated his knowledge, suggestions, analysis and especially his support in every way. Olaf Brodersen DLR, German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology

We share in your sorrow with love and friendship. He will remain in our hearts. Please accept our deepest condolences.

It was an honor and a privilege to work with Joe for the last 5 years of my career at LaRC. He was an amazing person: passionate, intelligent, and caring. He will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers for Kelly and the rest of the family during this difficult time. The NASA family is here for you always.

Being new to NASA Aeronautics in 2022 and working out of NASA Glenn, my time working for Joe was all too brief. In that time, however, I found myself in meetings listening intently to everything he said. I felt like I could listen to him for hours! I was also thankful for his patience last summer when he took the time to help teach me about an important part of my new role in the TTT Project. Truly a good person…and a great pleasure to get to know and work for him!

I had known Joe as a colleague, branch chief and as a neighbor for over 20 years, and I am really saddened to learn about his passing. Joe was an extremely smart person and willing to freely share his knowledge with his co-workers. I definitely enjoyed many long technical discussions with him on various topics. He was a wonderful person who was always ready to help others and will be greatly missed by everyone who came in contact with him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kelly and family and may God give them strength to cope up with Joe's loss.

In memory of Joseph Hicks Morrison, Ed Tinoco lit a candle

We are very saddened by the untimely passing of Joe. We worked with him at NASA and appreciated his deep expertise & contributions in modeling & simulation, and open and passionate discussions. May his soul Rest in Peace. With deep condolences to Joe’s family. Damodar & Manjula Ambur NASA Retirees

In memory of Joseph Hicks Morrison, Odilyn Luck lit a candle

My deepest condolences to the Morrison family. The loss of Joe is heartbreaking. I only met him about six years ago now, and I can tell you that I didn't have enough time with him. Joe and I could talk for hours through wandering conversations, a couple of times sharing our Taco Bell lunches in his office. Joe was genuinely supportive of women in a male-dominated environment and supported me and others tremendously. I always appreciated that he didn't just give lip service, but acted on his beliefs. He was opinionated and challenging, at times - a trait I learned to love and loath at the same time because often he was right but it meant I had to go back and do more work. In his obituary, his uncanny ability to navigate was mentioned. I remember going to San Francisco with Joe a couple of years ago for a work trip. I had not seen many parts of San Francisco, since I'm usually in and out quickly to get back home to my family. We did have one evening free though. Joe volunteered to show me around. He drove all around San Francisco, showing me the sights, narrating along the way, without ever consulting a navigation device. I never told him this, but that was super impressive to this millennial. I'll always remember his kindness on that evening - and many other encounters since then. I wasn't done getting advice and learning from Joe's wisdom and, frankly just enjoying his sense of humor and the comfort of his company. I'm extremely saddened that Joe's life didn't last as long as we all hoped, but grateful that I got to know him. I can't imagine what you (his family) are feeling, but I hope, eventually, that the comfort you get from the memories overcomes the feelings of grief. I'll continue to keep you in my thoughts. Sincerely, Vanessa

I'm deeply sorry to hear about Joe's passing. My sincere condolences to his family. He was intelligent, supportive, and so nice to me. I liked his sense of humor. I never forget his kindness and great help during my tough time, without which I wouldn't have been here. Thank you, Joe.

A life well lived on this earth is now home with our God. Prayers for you all.

Working at another center (Glenn) in Cleveland, I first learned of Joe’s early work in computational fluid dynamics by reading his papers; so before ever meeting him, I had high respect for Joe because of the difficult problems he worked on and the technical contributions he made – in the area of turbulent flow predictions. After meeting Joe when he moved into more technical leadership roles, I was impressed and inspired by his influence on others to achieve excellence, ability to grasp the details of a very broad range of technical topics, and his excellent long-term vision. Joe was a tremendous asset to NASA, and his influence will live on. My condolences to his family.

Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.

So sorry to hear about Joe. I never worked with him on an official project, but worked with him on many side projects over the years, to keep the wheels of CFD turning in one way or another. I think that is representative of his contributions to NASA, big and small, and the many ways he helped the rest of us. He was a really good guy with a kind heart and I will miss him.

So incredibly sorry for your loss. While my experience with Joe was brief, it was obvious very quickly that he had an enormous wealth of knowledge and experience that was very well respected amongst his peers. Truly a loss for his community in VA as well as his NASA family.

Kelly and family, I am saddened to learn of Joe's passing. Joe was a wonderful person and always willing to help in any way he could. So many memories from our school days and times past. May you find peace and comfort in the memories that you shared. Peace be with you.

Deepest condolences to Kelly and family for their loss!

Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Kelly and family, at this time. So very sorry to hear of your loss. He was a wonderful man.

I have known Joe for over 20 years. Joe was my task monitor for over 10 years, for my task supporting High Performance Computing at NASA LaRC. I consider Joe a colleague, mentor and friend. He worked passionately to help create and support the HPC presence at LaRC. Joe was a man or many interests and talents. He always had more ideas and projects in mind than hours in the day! Additionally, Joe was also a great person - who cared about people and encouraged them to be their best. I will miss Joe's enthusiasm and warm personality. The NASA community has lost a great man!

Deepest condolences to Kelly and the family. Alma and I are still reeling from this loss. I keep finding myself wanting Joe’s opinion, only to remember he is no longer there to share it. Joe was always there to help, to solve problems, and to look for a better way. His humor made work fun. Alma and I will always treasure our last chance to travel with Joe and Kelly in Stockholm last September. He did as much as he could for as long as possible - a life well-lived. Thank you, my friend, for all you have given us.

Our hearts and prayers are with the family at this time. I knew Joe at NASA since the early 90s when we shared space in a tiny trailer behind the old 1192 building. He was always extremely pleasant to be around and I consider him a valuable mentor as a fellow Hokie aero alum. He made substantial contributions over the years and always had tremendous insight into tough problems. I'm sitting in his old branch head office as I type this, and having so many fond memories of great times together - thanks for everything Joe!

Sending prayers to you, your family and friends during this very difficult time.

Deepest condolences to the family on their loss. You are in our thoughts and prayers. I had the privilege of working with Joe over almost past two decades in various capacities. He was a great colleague to work with, a good friend, and we will miss him. A big loss for NASA, and CFD community in particular.

My heartfelt and sincerest sympathies to the whole family. 🙏🏻❤️ Angie

I consider myself so lucky to have worked with Joe and have him as a friend and coworker. My life has been blessed by him friendship. I will truly miss our conversations. My condolences go out to Joe’s family and friends.

Deeply sorry for your loss.

My deepest condolences Kelly, Joseph, Audrey, and Joe's dear family. It was a great joy and honor to have worked, learned from, and laughed with Joe over a number of years. He is a prince among men ... and esteemed colleague and friend. Please know of my continued prayers for Joe, you, and his many friends in the NASA family. Blessed be God for the singular blessing of Joe's life. Jerry Welch

My deepest sympathy to Joe's family and friends. I worked with Joe at NASA off and on for many years, and he will be greatly missed for his sense of humor and general good sense. He made substantial contributions to the science and technical world, but he also made our world and work a better place.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.