Maurice "Morris" Wayne Fritz, 89, passed away December 20, 2015 at Orchard Creek.

Maurice was born on May 11, 1926 in Traverse City to the late Raymond Earl and Dorothy Beatrice (Ziegler) Fritz. He married the late Nancy Broadway in Detroit in 1949 and married Vera Chedister on February 18, 2005 in Lake City Florida.

Honorably Maurice served our country in the United States Army during WWII in both Germany and France. Following his time in the Army he went on to serve 25 years in the US Coast Guard where he reached the rank of Senior Chief working Search and Rescue and Iceberg Patrol. Finally he finished his working years retiring from Publix Super Markets as a Maintenance Supervisor.

Maurice was a member of the Masonic Lodge for many years. In his spare time he enjoyed wine making, fishing, camping and traveling. He was very handy and knowledgeable when it came to building. He proudly built the geodesic dome home on Armstrong Lake where he and Vera lived in the summer. Maurice was a good man and will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Surviving Maurice is his wife Vera; children, Kathy Turnbull, Carol (Don) Earman, Patti (David Meeks) Hunt; step-children Linda Wilson and Neal Wilson; grandchildren, Larry, Charlotte, Eric, Andrew; great-great grandchildren, Blake, Madison and Garrett, siblings Beatrice "Arlene" (Paul) Schettek, Dale (Dorothy) Fritz many nieces and nephews and other friends and family members.

Maurice is preceded in death by his parents, sisters Norma Matteson and Opal Roush and brother Raymond "Sonny" Fritz and best friend Glen Noonan.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 26, 2015 at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home at 11am with a visitation beginning at 10am. Memorial contributions may be directed to:
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , P.O. Box 2151501, St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38101-2151 or Veterans of Foreign Wars or Cherryland Post 2780 3400 Veterans Drive Traverse City, MI 49684.