Body Found, Memorial Service Set for East Texan Killed in Oil Rig Explosion

ATHENS – A memorial service has been set for an East Texas man who went missing following an oil rig explosion in Louisiana. According to KETK, Autry’s Carroll-Lehr Funeral Home says visitation for Timmy Lee Morris, 44, will be held on Sunday from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church in Athens. A memorial service is slated for 3:00 p.m., following the visitation. On October 15, an oil rig exploded on Lake Pontchartrain, just west of New Orleans. Eight people were on an offshore platform when it exploded. Seven were able to make it to shore and were hospitalized. Timmy Morrison’s body was found about 3 miles from the platform location, west of the St. Charles and Jefferson Parish Line. A helicopter found him on the shoreline around 1 p.m. Friday. Morrison was born in Tyler. He was a resident of Katy, but was raised in Athens, which he considered his home.