Wallace Morgan, known to friends as "Wally," entered God's presence on March 15, 2018. He will be forever remembered by his wife Janet and his grandchildren Jeffrey Casulas and Shawn Morgan.

Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa on April 29, 1924, he attended Cedar Falls High School and was a senior when the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor. He started college the following September but soon decided he needed to follow his two brothers into the Army. He enlisted, wanting to fly and become a machine gunner in the air, but he only got half his wish, becoming a machine gunner in the infantry.

He fought with the 28th infantry division in Normandy, France, waded ashore on D-Day plus after crossing the English Channel in a fishing boat, and participated in the liberation of France and the Paris parades. Fighting on into Germany, he received the Combat Infantry Medal in September 1944. Two months later, on November 13, 1944, in the Huertgen Forest, Wally was wounded and captured by the Germans. He spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war, first in Stalag XII in Limberg, then Berlin, and finally at Neubrandenberg in the North. He was repatriated on June 4, 1945 after he and fellow POWs and guards walked for four days and nights to the Elbe River where they were liberated by the 82nd Airborne division. He suffered as a prisoner, from cold, cruelty, and lack of food, until the war ended. His experiences shaped the rest of his life.

He married Janet McGrogan in 1986, and together their love of one another was a guiding force for the rest of his life. They moved to Blythe in 1990, but were never still for long, as they traveled extensively. Janet and Wally revisited WWII memorials all over Europe and five times visited the site of his capture. They developed enduring friendships within the active and retired military, and attended many reunions. Wally was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and was very active in the Blythe Lions Club for many years.

A memorial service is scheduled at Zion Lutheran Church on March 24, 2018 at 1 p.m., followed by a buffet at the church hall. The family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of contributions to Guide Dogs of the Desert.