Elaine Magdalena Morrall

1933 - 2023

BORN

1933

DIED

2023

About

Northern Arizona University

Elaine Morrall Obituary

Magdalena Elaine Magdalena Morrall entered this world on January 26, 1933, in McIntosh, South Dakota, and departed on Memorial Day May 29, 2023, in Grand Junction, Colorado. She lived an active, engaged, productive, and independent life for all her 90 years. Elaine grew up on a family farm near Walker, South Dakota with her parents, Henry and Amanda Holwegner, sister Ruth, and brothers, Bill, Jim, and Hank. Early on Elaine had a passion for travel and wanted to experience the world beyond the Great Plains. Upon graduating from McLaughlin HS, she went to a radio communication school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which led to a job with Capitol Airlines in New York City. The move from a rural homestead to Manhattan was not enough and the allure of international travel motivated her to take a job with Aramco in the developing oil industry of Saudi Arabia. It was there that she met her husband, Bill Morrall. Elaine and Bill were married in Zurich, Switzerland in 1956 and shared life's adventures together. They honeymooned by buying a boat in Rotterdam, Netherlands and traveling on inland waterways through Europe to their home in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. They had one child together, a son Steve, and continued to explore the world with frequent trips to East Africa, Asia, and Europe. Bill retired from Aramco in 1967 and they settled in Flagstaff, Arizona. After Bill passed in 1981, Elaine continued her adventures with birding and flyfishing as her passions. Elaine was a professional potter, landlord, and English language instructor in Mexico. She also took graduate level ornithology classes at Northern Arizona University that fueled her conservation work with the Audubon Society and the Arizona Wildlife Federation. Elaine was instrumental in the development of the Arizona Audubon breeding bird atlas and received numerous conservation awards. Elaine moved to Grand Junction, Colorado in 2014 to be near her family. Elaine passed at HopeWest Hospice Care Center in Grand Junction, a unique and wonderful institution, surrounded by her immediate family. She is survived by her son Steve Morrall and his wife Donna (Palisade, CO), grandchildren Ian Morrall and wife Yang Song (Hamilton, NY), Trevor Morrall (Granby, CO), Stephanie Morrall (Golden, CO), Alex Morrall (Palisade, CO), and great grandson Kai (Hamilton, NY).

In memory of Elaine, donations can be made to the Northern Arizona Chapter of the Audubon Society: https://www.northernarizonaaudubon.org/Donate

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Arizona Daily Sun from Jul. 1 to Jul. 2, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for Elaine Morrall

5 Entries

Celia Holm

June 29, 2024

Elaine, I have just completed another Osprey Survey out at Whitehorse, Scholz and JD Dam Lakes, and you were watching with me.

Sally Tachias McMillian

July 15, 2023

Steve and family, I am so sorry for your loss.

Peter Rosenthal

July 3, 2023

I met Elaine when she came in my shop to get her camera equipment worked on. All I really knew about her was that she was always just back from a trip from somewhere interesting or on her way to some place interesting. She was always kind and friendly and loved to chat at length about anything. Sorry to see her go.

Celia Holm

July 2, 2023

I have many great memories of doing bird surveys with Elaine on Anderson Mesa, and finishing up our work with lunch at Mormon Lake Lodge.

Kay Hawklee-Northern Arizona Audubon Society

July 1, 2023

Sadly, I didn't know Elaine, but truly wish I had. I'm the current President of Northern Arizona Audubon Society and recently I began to notice donations made in her honor. I'm only at the beginning of discovering all of what she did for our non-profit and for conservation of birds everywhere. One of our past Presidents shared a photo of her and Rick Miller of AZ Game and Fish pouring over a map of Anderson Mesa, what would become - largely through their efforts, a Globally Important Bird Area. The Earth needs more folks like Elaine. We wish her son, Steve, and family members peace as they contemplate their loss and review all the gifts she gave.

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