Morse family patriarch dies

Larry D. Morse I, a prominent figure in the Merced County legal community, died this week. He was 87.

Morse founded the well-known Merced law firm of Morse, Morse and Morse in 1978, which he built with his oldest sons, Brian and Neil. His youngest son and namesake, Larry D. Morse II, has been the Merced County district attorney since 2006.

John Pazin, who said he was friends with Morse for decades, described the Morse law firm as a great success story, built on hard work and honesty. “He really started that from scratch,” Pazin said, “and he built, really, a very good business. I always knew him as a real straight shooter. That probably had a lot to do with it.”

Born in 1927, Morse’s family settled in Hollywood during the Great Depression. During his high school years, he worked as an usher at NBC Studios, where he met the love of his life, Saranne. They were married in 1947 and raised six children: Brian, Neil, Anne, Larry, Emily and Ellen.

Morse joined the California State Bar in 1955 after graduating from the Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles. He helped build one of the largest law firms in Lancaster during the 1960s before he was appointed in 1973 to the Los Angeles Municipal Court bench by then Gov. Ronald Reagan. He lost his judgeship in 1976 in an election defeat described by his family as “bitter.”

Morse settled in Merced in 1977 and founded the law firm that still bears his family’s name.

Friends and family remembered Morse as a charismatic and talented attorney, father and friend with a warm, teasing sense of humor who could speak articulately on any subject.

“He always had a smile and a handshake and a story or joke for you,” said Dr. Howard Larson, another longtime friend. “It was just impossible not to really like the guy.”

Neil Morse recalled his father’s natural talent for conversation, which could range from poker strategy to art and music, hunting and fishing, or philosophy, history and law.

“He raised a family whose dinner-table discussions were always interesting exercises; debates that never ended, whether it was politics or (legal) cases or anything else,” Neil Morse recalled.

The younger Larry Morse described his father as “a man’s man, in the very best sense of the expression.”

“He lived with honor, integrity, compassion and a wonderful spirit of adventure,” the younger Morse said. “We were blessed beyond words to have him for a father.”

Friends said Morse would be remembered for his charming personality and his sincere empathy for those who needed his help. Most of all, Larson said, Morse should always be known for the quality of his friendship.

“You meet a great many people in this life. You deal with a lot of personalities. But you really make very few really good, genuine friends,” Larson said. “Larry was one of those people I was fortunate enough to say was on the short list of very, very good friends.”

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home, 1490 B St., Merced. Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of Mercy Church, 459 W. 21st St. in Merced.

This story was originally published October 31, 2014 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Morse family patriarch dies."