Born in Bridgetown, Barbados in 1937, George Edward Morris Husbands, known as Morris, passed away on June 20, 2023, after a lengthy and heroic battle with cancer.
Morris enjoyed a distinguished career as a research chemist, spending over 30 years at Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories (now Pfizer) where he developed the first SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) — Effexor (venlafaxine), which represented a significant advancement in the treatment of depression and created a new class of medication.
After graduating from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica with a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, he was hired for a post-doctoral position at Iowa State University. From there he traveled to Wayne State University for a second post-doc. When a nursing student needed a chemistry tutor, he and a friend met her and her roommate for a burger. That roommate was Judith Lee Doyle, and they were married less than six months later on Valentine’s Day, 1969.
The newlyweds moved to Philadelphia where Morris started working at Wyeth. Their first child, Julian Morris, was born in 1971 and Jennifer Leigh was born in 1973. After Judy won their down payment on “The $10,000 Pyramid”, they moved to Devon, Pennsylvania into a ranch-style home with a sprawling yard. A few years later, they moved to Berwyn, Pennsylvania and then separated. Morris stayed in Berwyn and Julian and Jenn continued to attend schools in the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District.
As the primary caregiver, Morris balanced a demanding job with a significant commute while meeting the needs of two growing children. He became an empty-nester in 1991 when Jenn started college, but stayed in the same home until he learned of his cancer diagnosis in 2021.
Morris chose to move to Chicago to pursue treatment, moving into an apartment with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan, about three miles from Jenn’s house. He received excellent oncology care from the University of Chicago and cardiac and primary care from Swedish Hospital. Although given six months to live when first diagnosed in September 2021, he of course overachieved and remained active and independent until April 2023, when his health finally began to decline.
Morris made new friends and new memories during his time in Chicago, including two trips to his beloved home country of Barbados with family in 2022 and 2023.
He will be remembered for his kindness, his positive attitude, his impressive intellect, his love of jazz music and all Philadelphia sports teams, his devotion to his children, and, of course, his winning smile.
Devoted father of Julian (Kerri) Husbands, M.D. and Jennifer (Michael Bennett) Husbands, Ph.D., proud grandfather (“Grandpa Mo”) of Jamison and Kiley Husbands and Skylar Bennett; dear cousin of Nicholas (Dionne) Timothy and children Keb and Kal. Adored friend of many. Preceded in death by parents Muriel Hewitt Husbands and Julian Morris Husbands and spouse Judith Husbands.