Eric Pole Morton, Jr.

Eric Pole Morton Jr., known to many as Captain, EP, or most famously Hollywood, passed away on November 28, 2025, at the age of 85. He was born on June 16, 1940, in Whitebead, Oklahoma, in Garvin County. He was raised in Maysville where deep roots of faith, family, and hard work shaped the man he became. 

Eric accepted Christ as his Savior at a young age, a commitment that guided every season of his life. His Bible was never far from reach, and his steady and quiet faith left a lifelong imprint on his children and grandchildren. 

Eric was preceded in death by his father, Eric P. Morton Sr.; his mother, Allene Morton; his father-in-law, Bill Trayler; his mother-in-law, Mildred Trayler; his beloved great grandson, Josiah “Tripp” Cauthen; and his beloved great granddaughter, Eleanor Wren. 

On September 26, 1959, at the First Methodist Church in Perryton, Texas, Eric married the love of his life, Roxana Lucille Trayler. He was nineteen years old, and she was seventeen years old. They shared sixty-six years of marriage marked by devotion, perseverance, and an unbreakable bond. Eric adored his wife and faithfully sent her yellow roses. For many years he sent eleven roses to her workplace and told her to look in the mirror for the twelfth. It was his quiet way of reminding her that she was the center of his world. 

Eric worked for Wilson Foods for thirty-six years, where he ran the employees’ market with dedication, integrity, and strong leadership. When the company changed hands to A C Humco, he transitioned to the oil refinery and ran it with the same steady hand, work ethic, and reliability that people had trusted for decades. He also ran cattle on his home place for more than twenty years, spending countless hours tending the land and livestock he loved. That work brought him peace, purpose, and fulfillment throughout his life. 

As a young man, Eric raised and showed pigs and excelled in athletics, especially football and basketball. He passed that same discipline and drive on to his children. He loved sports, especially when his boys were playing, and he rarely missed their games. Eric coached his sons when they were young, and even when he was not coaching, he was always there steady, present, proud, and calling plays from the sidelines. He loved taking his daughter shopping, taking her to the cattle sale, and having her help him work on his cars. He also loved to tease Roxana by saying he was going to “call Meschelle and tell on her,” a joke he repeated for years and one the family still laughs about. Those everyday moments with his children were some of his greatest joys. 

Eric shared a close and lifelong bond with his older sister Catherine and her husband, Doyle McEntire; his younger sister Meda and her husband, Jerry Combs; and his brother-in-law Richard Trayler and his wife Eddie Trayler. He believed in giving his family a life filled with good food, meaningful memories, and vacations they would treasure for years. His family was his pride, his joy, and his purpose. 

One of Eric’s proudest accomplishments was training his horse Lucky Parr, who became an Alaskan State Champion roping horse. It remained one of the achievements he cherished most. 

Stories about Eric filled every family gathering. Whether people knew him as Captain, EP, or Hollywood, they remembered him. Tales involving his dog Petey and their adventures to the park, including encounters with a goose, a hawk, and a snake, was retold for years with laughter. A favorite story was the day a man attempted to make a citizen’s arrest on Eric. It did not end well for the other man, and the story quickly became a Morton family classic. For all his toughness, Eric was equally known for his tender heart, his loyalty, and the way he quietly stood beside the people he loved. 

He enjoyed fast cars, studying stocks, working his cattle, and spending time outdoors. He was sharp-minded and observant, always thinking ahead. He found joy in simple things such as a good day of work, a loyal dog, a strong cup of coffee, and the sound of his family’s laughter. 

Eric is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-six years, Roxana Morton, and by their children: Trent M. Morton and his wife Sheri L. Morton, Marcia “Meschelle” Williams and her husband Robert C. Williams IV, Robert E. Morton and his wife Rena J. Morton.  He is also survived by his grandchildren and great grandchildren: Tyler M. Morton and his wife Abi Morton, Owen Q. Morton and his wife Justina Morton, Amanda C. Williams, Dr. Robert “Tray” Williams and his wife Whitney A. Williams and their children Norah E. Williams, Charis A. Williams, and Rhyan K. Williams, Marti L. Cauthen and her husband Samuel J. Cauthen and their children Samuel “Cruz” Cauthen, Declan C. Cauthen, and Harper-Clae Cauthen, Austin M. Morton, and William E. Morton and his fiancée Caroline Muller. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and extended family members whom he loved deeply. 

Whether you knew him as Captain, EP, or Hollywood, you knew a man of loyalty, humor, strength, and unwavering faith. His legacy lives on in his family, in the stories that will be told for generations, and in the love, he gave so freely.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at Winans Funeral Home Chapel in Maysville, Oklahoma.  Burial to follow at Antioch Cemetery under the direction of John W. Williams of Winans Funeral Home in Maysville, Oklahoma.  Words of comfort may be sent to the family on this website.