Rev. Richard Morris

The Rev. Richard Morris, 95, of Cumberland and formerly of Norfolk, MA, passed away peacefully at home on December 14, 2018. He was the beloved husband of Marjorie (Miner) Morris to whom he was married for 67 years. Born and raised in North Attleboro, MA, Richard was the youngest child of the late George and Etta May (Hughes) Morris and brother of the late Carleton Morris and Norman Morris.

Mr. Morris grew up in North Attleboro and was an active member of Grace Episcopal Church as a young man. After graduating from high school in 1940 he went to work at Paye & Baker Manufacturing, a silversmith company in North Attleboro. Because he was the sole support of his widowed mother when the United States entered World War II, Mr. Morris was not drafted. Instead, he served the war effort as an industrial engineer at Spencer Thermostat Company in Attleboro, overseeing the manufacture of circuit breakers for military vehicles. During this time he began to discern a strong call to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. He was admitted to Brown University in 1943, maintaining a full-time work and school schedule until his graduation in 1947.

Mr. Morris entered the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, MA, in the fall of 1947, receiving his Masters of Divinity in 1950. It was during that time that he met Marjorie Miner, a student at the Newton-Wellesley School of Nursing. They were married during Christmastide in 1951 and moved to Belmont, MA, where he was serving All Saints Episcopal Church as their curate.

In 1952, St. Thomas Episcopal Church in North Syracuse, NY, called Mr. Morris to be their first rector. The church building and rectory were under construction when he began his ministry there. For the next 13 years he pastored a vibrant congregation, taking it from mission to parish status, and becoming nationally recognized as one of the most effective youth ministry professionals in the Episcopal Church. All six of Mr. Morris’ children were born during this time.

In 1965, Mr. Morris accepted the call to become the fifth rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lakewood, OH, a large suburban parish in the Cleveland area. During his 20-year ministry there, he shepherded the parish through the throes of the civil rights movement and the turmoil of the Vietnam War; introduced liturgical change and innovation; hired and mentored the parish’s first female clergy person; facilitated adult education programs aimed at forming active lay leaders; and oversaw the construction of a large educational wing onto the church building. By his own admission, his relationship with Jesus both expanded and deepened in these years, and he embraced the gift of God’s love for him and sought to embody that in his daily life.

In 1985, Mr. Morris retired from parish ministry and he and his wife moved to Pittsboro, NC. For the next several years he served as a supply priest at various parishes in the area and for a short time was interim rector at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh. In his early retirement he became a liturgical consultant to churches throughout the country, spent many hours outdoors in his garden or in the woods with his dog Jesse, and renewed his hobby as a stamp collector. He eventually became a nationally recognized expert on a series of US and Canadian stamps from the late 19th century, winning multiple awards and international acclaim for five philatelic color guides that he compiled and published.

Mr. Morris and his wife returned to New England in 1999, settled in Norfolk, MA, and became active members of Church of the Advent (Episcopal) in Medfield, MA. Working with the church’s clergy and vestry, Mr. Morris designed and oversaw the construction of a columbarium as a way to honor the ministry of the parish’s founding rector, the Rev. Guy Wilbur Miner, who was Mrs. Morris’ grandfather. Mr. Morris’ cremated remains will be interred in this location during a private burial service.

Besides his wife, Mr. Morris is survived by his six children and their spouses: Rebecca and Steven Taylor of Wellesley, MA; Stephen and Eve Morris of Cleveland Heights, OH; Jonathan and Wendy Morris of Kenmore, NY; Cynthia and James Thorsen of Cumberland, RI; Martha and Kenneth Taylor of Rocky River, OH; and Jennifer and Mark Reed of Delaware, OH. He is also survived by twenty grandchildren: Joshua Taylor; Andrew Sackett-Taylor and his wife Hillary; Samantha Dominic and her husband Greg; Christy Morris; Caitlin Ford and her husband Ben; Phillip Morris and his wife Betsy; Adam Morris and his wife Carson; Annie Morris; Jennifer Morris; Elizabeth Thorsen and her husband Lee Robinson; Margaret Thorsen and her fiancé Yao Liu; John Thorsen; Josef Thorsen; Ian Taylor and his fiancé Nikki Lee; Gillian Taylor; Gordan Taylor; Stuart Taylor; Noah Reed; Olivia Ramirez and her husband Jordan; and Eli Reed. Mr. Morris also leaves eight great-grandchildren: Jada and Madisyn Moore; Maxwell Taylor; Milo and Ezra Dominic; Henry and Maggie Morris; and Belle Morris. His brother-in-law Richard Miner and his wife Anita, numerous nieces and nephews and their families, as well as many friends, parishioners, and clergy mourn his passing.

Relatives and friends are invited to a burial service with Holy Eucharist on Thursday, December 27th at 11AM at Christ Church, 1645 Lonsdale Avenue, Lincoln, RI. Burial will be private. Visiting hours are respectfully omitted. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mr. Morris’ memory to Doctors Without Borders (donate.doctorswithoutborders.org) or to The Southern Poverty Law Center (donate.splcenter.org).