Alan Morgan, MD

Alan Morgan was born in South Wales on June 27, 1931 and passed away peacefully at home in Seattle on December 29, 2019, after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis.

Alan was educated at Taunton School, a boarding school in Somerset, England - years he often fondly described as some of the best of his life. Before entering Bristol University as a medical student, he fulfilled two years of national duty in the British Army, serving in Egypt and training as a radiographer. At Bristol University, he ran track and played rugby in his free time, eventually becoming good enough to play for Bristol Rugby Club. While an unfortunate knee injury ended his promising career in rugby, his love of the sport continued throughout his life. After graduation in 1957, he continued his surgical training in London, Sheffield and Cardiff and qualified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. During this busy time, he managed to marry the love of his life, Mary Braund, formerly a nurse at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. They recently happily celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

In 1966, Alan was invited to Seattle for a year of medical research at the University of Washington. At the end of that year, his life took an unexpected turn when he was recruited as the senior surgical fellow at Childrens' Hospital to help establish a pediatric training program. He was a teacher, mentor and attending Surgeon at Childrens' for more than 35 years, and was a member of the team that performed the first separation of conjoined twins at the hospital. He also maintained a busy adult practice - first at Swedish Hospital and then later at Northwest Hospital - before retiring from surgery in 1999. As a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the UW, Alan enjoyed teaching his craft to a generation of medical students as well as teaching Gross Anatomy in his later years. Following a brief "retirement", he found a second career reading vascular studies, a job he enjoyed into his 80's. During his practicing years, he was President of Seattle Surgical Society, a member of Pacific Coast Surgeons, North Pacific Surgical Society as well as the British Association of Pediatric Surgeons. He loved caring for and helping people, and over the years volunteered in hospitals and clinics in Hungary, Bulgaria and Guatemala. He also fulfilled an unrealized dream to serve as the doctor on a cruise ship in the Caribbean for a few unconventional weeks. Most of all, he felt it was a privilege to be a surgeon and to have the opportunity to serve others.

Alan remained a loyal Welshman, a fervent supporter of Wales rugby and England cricket, and a devoted alumnus of his boarding school. He loved classical music, and served as President of the Board of the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and was a founding board member of the Orcas Island Music Festival - both organizations that brought great joy to his life and made him many friends in the musical world. He also helped organize a group to commission new classical music that has been performed around the US and abroad, including most recently in Paris this past December.

While his work as a doctor was a center point of his life, he pursued many other interests during his wonderful 88 years - enjoying sailing, good food and wine, travel, a little golf, his beach house & apple trees in Kingston, and for a few exciting years, a partnership in racehorses. He led a full and rewarding life and was loved by so many.

Alan felt lucky to have his family surrounding him in Seattle. He was an amazing father and grandfather. His family - and extended family - brought so much pleasure to his life. He leaves behind his wife, Mary, his son Richard (Karin), daughter Charlotte (Mike) and son Rowland (Laura) and six grandchildren, Emmett and Angus Wayte, Owen and Jane Morgan, and Erik and Tove Morgan - all will miss him dearly but are blessed to hold such fond memories of his kind and loving spirit. May we all be so lucky.

There will be a celebration of Alan's life on Tuesday,

February 11, 2020

at 1:00 pm at the

Seattle Yacht Club.

All who knew and loved Alan

are invited to attend!