Morse was raised in Central Lake, Michigan, where the family ran a restaurant and entertainment complex called Brownwood, according to a Jan. 8, 2012, account in the Villages Daily Sun.
His father bought a few thousand acres of scrub land 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Ocala and, in 1959, began selling lots by mail. By 1983, when Morse took over the business, 400 lots had trailers on them. Rather than sell vacant lots, Morse decided to build homes, pools, restaurants and golf courses.
Rising Sales
By 1986, Morse was selling more than 500 homes a year. From 1986 through the first quarter of 2014, the Holding Company of the Villages had $9.9 billion in total new home sales revenue.
In 2006, Morse transferred most of the direct ownership in the company to his three children: Mark Morse became president, Tracy Mathews oversaw Villages design, and Jennifer L. Parr was named a director.
According to the Villages newspaper, Morse’s first wife, Sharon, died in 1999. In addition to his three children, survivors include his second wife, Renee; a stepson, Justin Wilson; 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.