John Ainslie Morrison

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Rev. John Ainslie Morrison on October 6, 2024. He was born in Cincinnati in 1939 to M. Edwin Morrison and Mary Ainslie Morrison (née Heuck) and sister Anne Kay; all preceded him in death. John is survived by his wife Patricia Morrison, née Wright; his children David Morrison, Sarah Dillon and Benjamin Morrison; David's wife Lindsay and their children Nicholas and Hunter; Sarah's husband Peter Dillon and their children Leah and Matthew; and Benjamin's children, Marissa and Brayden.

As a young child during WWII, John and his family moved with his father to a succession of Army bases across the American South. His family then returned to Clifton, where he spent most of his childhood and adult life. He attended Clifton Elementary and Hughes High School, maintaining many of his childhood friendships for life. After earning a bachelor's in Philosophy from the University of Cincinnati, he attended the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts (now Episcopal Divinity School), becoming ordained in 1965. He went on to earn a masters in community planning and a PhD in Epidemiology from UC and was a prolific researcher in pediatric cardiology and lipids, initially at UC, later at the Cincinnati Children's Medical Center.

John met Patsy when they were counselors at Christ Church Camp in the summer of 1962, before each moved to Cambridge, MA, for graduate school - Patricia at Harvard and John at ETS. With permission from the bishop, they married a year later. In Boston, John took Patsy to see the Celtics play the Cincinnati Royals, with the great Oscar Robertson. John had followed Oscar throughout his playing time as a Cincinnati Bearcat, and for the rest of his life he swore the Big O was the greatest who ever played the game. After Oscar retired they shifted their interests to Playhouse in the Park, the Cincinnati Symphony, and Opera, enjoying arts together throughout their marriage.

John and Patsy shared a true partnership for 61 years, supporting each other through multiple graduate degrees and career changes while raising their three children. He was a man of traditional habits, leading prayers of grace and plating up Patsy's cooking from the head of the table at Sunday dinners. He also took much pride in Patsy's law education and career. The couple maintained the affection of newlyweds through his last days, frequently holding hands on walks and lovingly exchanging sweet nicknames with the romance of lovebirds.

Throughout his adult life John actively engaged with societal problems big and small. While a seminarian in the 1960s, he returned to the American South to register voters and demonstrate Northern religious support. Education was important to him: he co-founded the New School Montessori in Cincinnati and trained to be a Montessori teacher, though he never formally taught. As president of the Clifton Town Meeting in the 1980s, he rallied the community to save the Esquire Theater on Ludlow Ave, preserving Clifton's cultural character. This effort earned him weekly popcorn and indie movie dates with Patsy for decades - and a fondness for Cinema Paradiso.

Also a man of science, in 1973 John launched an epidemiology study on the impact of diet and exercise on lipids, heart disease, and childhood obesity, enlisting as study subjects students at a high school near his parish in Glendale, Ohio. John took great interest in the personal lives of the participants as he followed their health over decades. The Princeton Lipid Research Study continues to this day as one of the largest longitudinal health databases in the world. John led and authored hundreds of studies and peer-reviewed papers, all aiming to better understand, prevent and treat heart disease.

The fresh water and fresher air of Michigan's upper peninsula lured John's family for generations, a fondness he shared with Patsy, his children, grandchildren, and the dozens of cousins who still return every summer. He realized his lifelong goal of owning a home in the Les Cheneaux Islands in the 1980s, a place where he welcomed family and many guests. He perpetually designed and redesigned projects for the cottage, relished the escape of working on his beautiful antique wooden boat Papa, shouted very loudly as he jumped into the cold water, and enjoyed a glass of wine at sunset. Recently, he and Pasty lived there year round with support from friends and the community.

John's Christian faith and Calvary Episcopal Church were foundations in his life. Calvary is where he was baptized, where he made himself honorary member of his big sister's Brownie troop, where he felt the vocation to the clergy, and where he and Patsy married and then lived a few houses away. After a sojourn as Assistant Rector at Christ Church in Glendale, he returned to Calvary as his home parish. When John celebrated services he was known for his intellectual, engaging sermons, at Calvary, as temporary rector around the city, and in Detour, MI. Through his final months, John brought his warm smile and tender feelings to the Calvary community. It's fitting that he chose Calvary to be his final resting place.

John's intellect, faith, and love for family, food, the UP and the arts shaped many. We miss him and know he is present in us.

Join us for a funeral mass Saturday, Oct. 19, 10am, at Calvary Episcopal Church (3766 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati). Reception immediately follows in the church's Hannaford Hall to share personal remembrances and celebrate John's life.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks any donations in his honor go to Calvary Church (calvaryclifton.org) or the Les Cheneaux Community Foundation (lcicf.org) in Cedarville, MI.