Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 9-4-20

Local
Heart Attack Claims Life Of State Representative’s Son
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
While working in his land- scaping business, a young Tampa man suffered a heart attack. Michael L. Morrell, Jr., died on Sunday, August 30, 2020, without ever re- gaining consciousness.
The 44-year-old was at Advent Health surrounded by his family when he passed away.
A Tampa native, Mr. Morrell was the son of State Representative Dianne Hart and the late Michael Morrell, Sr. He attended the public schools of Hillsbor- ough County and graduated from Tampa Bay Technical High School. He earned a basketball scholarship and at- tended Paul Quinn College for several semesters. He was a
MICHAEL L. MORRELL, JR. 12/5/1975 --- 8/30/2020
business major.
After returning to Tampa,
Mr. Morrell worked for sev- eral years as a truck driver be- fore launching M.L.M. Properties Landscaping Serv- ice. His mother said his slo- gan was “If you want it
done right, call Mike.”
Ms. Hart said, “He was a workaholic. He had just earned his union card as a longshoreman with the Inter- national Longshoremen’s As- sociation, Local 1402. Not many people knew that. He loved to work. He worked all of the time. He was also com- munity-oriented and loved to help people.
“He would help me on every event that I’ve had. Even if he was only able to load the truck, he would do that. And, he never ended a conversation without telling me that he loved me.”
Ms. Hart further said that her family is plagued by heart disease and that heart disease is prevalent on his fa- ther’s side of the family as well.
Mr. Morrell had suf- fered two prior heart attacks and had his first stint inserted in early 2019. In June 2019, his mother said they both were in the hospital as a result of heart disease. And he had had another episode about three weeks prior to his death, she said.
“I’m talking about this be- cause people need to know about the effects of heart dis- ease,” she said.
Mr. Morrell was an organ donor and was baptized at the age of 6. “He visited Mt. Zion M. B. Church with me. He didn’t attend church often, but he understood the power of prayer.”
As a child, Mr. Morrell developed a love of fishing. And that love was only over- shadowed by his love for his family and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“He was a season ticket holder and traveled all over the country to support the Bucs, even during their losing seasons. “He was waiting to watch Tom Brady play for the Bucs. He absolutely loved the Bucs.”
In addition to his mother, Mr. Morrell is survived by his wife, Mrs. Toccara Morrell, their 5 daughters, a sister, a brother, and numer- ous other family members.
Funeral services for Mr. Morrell are tentatively planned for Saturday, Sep- tember 12, 2020. Wilson’s Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.
2021 MLK Parade Activities Starting Up
HOWARD HARRIS
The Dr. Martin Luther King Parade Foundation has started preparations for the 2021 City of Tampa MLK Pa- rade. Next year’s parade will be held on Monday, January 18, 2021, and will travel the same route from Cuscaden Park to Middleton High School as in previous years.
The new parade applica- tion for entry is on line and available at www.mlkjrpa- rade.com.
“We are aware that the COVID-19 Pandemic is of concern to many who have participated in years past,” Coordinator Howard Har- ris stated. “We will continue to monitor the progress of local and nationwide efforts to stem the tide of the virus, and follow any and all guidelines that are issued to us by local authorities in keeping partic- ipants and attendees as safe as possible. Prayerfully, the worst of the pandemic will be behind us by January and we can all enjoy this celebration of Dr. King’s legacy as we have in year’s past.
“We are also making plans for our annual gala to award
ROBERT SCOTT, JR.
scholarships to deserving high school students and honor our local community heroes. This celebration will likely be much different than in year’s past, but we are actively ex- ploring options for its contin- uation, perhaps in a virtual fashion. Stay tuned for more information in the weeks to come,” continued Harris.
“As always, with so much to do, the Parade Foundation will gladly accept help from volunteers to assist the organ- ization with planning, logis- tics and administrative duties. If you have an interest in event planning and coordina- tion, entertainment planning, logistics, office management, working with volunteers, working with corporate spon- sors and donors, managing vendors, or working with community organizations, please visit our website to sign up,” states Cordinator Robert Scott, Jr.
“Dr. King’s legacy is as important today as it has ever been. We look forward to once again sharing that legacy with our Tampa family. God bless!”
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