Dean Richards Morley III was born on December 20, 1938, in Little Rock, AK to Dean R. Morley of North Little Rock and Mable Crutcher Morley of Lonoke, AK. He died on March 2, 2026, after enjoying months of visits with family and friends.
Dean graduated from North Little Rock High School in 1956 and won a National Merit Scholarship to Harvard where he was a member of Kirkland House and the Harvard Class of 1960. He graduated with an A.B. degree concentrating in Physics in 1961. He received a J.D. degree from Emory University in 1963.
Dean served proudly in the US Army Reserves for 6 years. Impressed with the honesty and integrity of public service, he spent 31 years with the Internal Revenue Service in the Office of Chief Counsel. The last 13 years of his government service were spent as District Counsel in charge of all federal tax cases in Georgia and South Carolina.
Following his retirement from the IRS, Dean joined Professor Ron Blasi as an adjunct professor at the Georgia State University Law School, where he and Ron developed a first-rate tax clinic program, teaching students how to properly handle live federal tax cases. In appreciation for Dean's work at the law school and throughout his career, his friend Mark Mesler founded a scholarship in Dean's name at the law school.
Dean was a devoted Christian and served 6 terms as elder at Northwoods Presbyterian Church (later known as Church of the New Covenant). After his church closed, he was pleased to find another church home in the beloved community of North Decatur, GA Presbyterian Church.
His love of sports found many outlets throughout his life. From playing baseball as a child and softball as an adult, to coaching his sons' teams to several championships, to keeping score for his grandsons' baseball games, to watching ESPN from his recliner, he enjoyed it all.
Dean is survived by his wife of 63 years, Marcia June Dodson Morley from Bloomfield, NJ. Marcia was the light of his life and his best friend. They became eager travel partners later in life, taking trips to over 40 countries in all. She was the "blind date" that formed a lifelong bond of love and support.
Dean is also survived by his sons Dean Richards Morley IV (Susan) and David McLean Morley (Lori); his grandsons Mathewson and Lance Morley; his step-granddaughters Cate and Sophia Eppley; and his brothers Steve and Randy Morley of North Little Rock, AK.
Memorial services were held on Saturday, April 4 at the North Decatur Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to North Decatur Presbyterian Church (https://ndpc.org/give/) or to the Dean R. Morley III Endowed Scholarship, Georgia State University Law School (https://donate.gsu.edu/s/give?dsgt=021267).
