WILBURN L. MORRIS

MORRIS WILBURN L.

The husband of Karen Michael, passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2018.  He was the beloved father of Stan, Susan, John and David; he had nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He served in the US Army during WWII in Europe and when the war ended attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In 1947 he married Ruth Elizabeth Stevens Morris, his wife of 61 years, who preceded him in death in 2008. His career with JCPenney began in Tacoma, Washington, and ended in New York, New York where he retired as Senior Vice President and Director of Stores. True to form, his retirement years continued to be as productive and exciting as preceding years. He served on the Board of the Army Air Force Exchange and as a volunteer raised funds to support students at Berea College. Always a person of adventure, he helped businesses outside the US, became an instrument rated pilot, and spent a year traveling through 50 countries around the globe with only the provisions he carried in a backpack. He enjoyed seeing the world from the point of view of ordinary people and published a book, Around the Next Corner, describing some of his experiences. His faith and the church were an important part of his life; he was ordained as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church in 1949 and served in that capacity in three different congregations. He was active in the Pittsburgh Presbytery for six years and was a delegate to the General Assembly in Fort Worth, Texas. In lieu of a public memorial, he asked that his life be celebrated at a family gathering one year after his passing.