Karen Burkett Morrow

Karen "Kay" Morrow, of Tampa, has bid us adieu at the age of 86 on August 5, 2023 after a short fight with Cancer. Born on December 27, 1936, in Beaumont, Texas, to Graham and Anna Rue Burkett, she embarked on a life journey filled with laughter and love that everyone that knew her enjoyed and appreciated.

Growing up she had a tight circle of friends that has lasted a lifetime, She began ballet school at a young age and took to the stage in rather elaborate costumes made by her mother (see picture below). Which was the beginning of her interest in the performing arts.

Kay, illuminated the halls of Beaumont High School as a social butterfly who continued her interest in dance by being a member of The Royal Purple Queens precision drill/dance team one of the first of this type of group in the country. She attended numerous social events and dated the most eligible high school and college boys in the area. One of these was the quarterback of the rival high school who she stole from his then girlfriend. There is an ironic twist in this boyfriend stealing incident. Approximately 10 years later she and the quarterback's ex-girlfriend lived on the same street in Houston, Texas and they became lifelong friends. This former romantic rival sent annual cards, notes, and emails thanking Kay for saving her life by breaking up the relationship with the quarterback. This was because without that boyfriend she had the opportunity to meet her now husband of over 65 years with whom she lives a wonderful life. With the nickname "Buckett" her senior yearbook photo includes the following caption - Parties, parties, and more parties... careless sophistication with a southern drawl ... "Hello-o-o" ... football players and cowboys are her type of men ...

She then began turning heads at the University of Southern Mississippi where she did not graduate with a bachelor's degree but rather the most coveted degree by young women of the 1950's a Mrs. being one of three out of her four roommates to do this during their freshman year. This happened in 1956 when she married Donald (Don) Morrow her husband of almost 68 years after she dumped his roommate to begin dating him. Don was neither a football player or cowboy.

In the world of business, Kay could be considered a bit of a feminist (although she wouldn't label it as such). In the late 1950's she worked for Prudential insurance in Houston, Texas where she started as a file clerk (since she didn't know proper typing) and moved in to a more supervisory capacity in a few short years before leaving to be a full time mother to her son Kevin. Later she and Don began the entrepreneurial stage of their lives and careers. First as co-owners of a Western Auto Store in Hattiesburg, Mississippi which they discovered was not their cup of tea. So they set off to Florida to open what eventually became, Delta Porta Buildings in Tampa she and Don ran a sales and manufacturing operation that gave them a rewarding career and a comfortable lifestyle.

Beyond her knack for business and specifically accounting Kay enjoyed a good time. She was a frequent party thrower/organizer and entertainer through the majority of her life. This could be a small dinner party, a regular on Saturday nights at the redneck riviera country club in Hattiesburg, Mississippi where she and Don belonged, an apres boating party in Tampa where the primary drink was .99 per six pack Old Milwaukee Beer, or the multiple Ramblin' Raft Race on the Hillsborough River viewing parties at her home.

Another interest was Republican Party politics. This included being a local poll worker, volunteering on the future 41st President, George H.W. Bush's first congressional campaign in Texas (he lost) where she had the opportunity to dance with a future President while his wife Barbara Bush knitted in the corner. She later had the opportunity to serve as a delegate for Lamar Alexander at the Florida nominating convention.

In the late 1980's her interest in the performing arts raised its head again. She became part of the inaugural group of volunteers at the now Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa. Working as an usher at performances, giving tours to tour groups, organizing fundraisers, and of course parties were all part of it. It gave her the opportunity to be involved in the arts again and see all types of performances from Broadway shows to dance and comedians which she enjoyed for a tenure of approximately twenty years. Her enjoyment of this atmosphere is understandable as her own mother once said in a deep southern accent reminiscent of Vicki Lawrence in Mama's Family "Kay always fancied herself showpeople".

As their business became more successful an interest in travel became more pronounced. This began with short trips to see family and friends or popular destinations across the country sometimes even if only for a long weekend. Upon retirement however these trips expanded to include up to 4-6 week trips around the U.S and eventually the world with over 80 countries visited including China, Russia, Vietnam, multiple countries in Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa. These trips given all the exotic locales visited were not without their mishaps including the usual lost luggage, cancelled flights, extended layovers but also illnesses such as food poisoning from clams in Cape Cod, Norovirus on a Caribbean cruise, and perhaps the most harrowing, hospitalization in Vietnam from a fainting/sunstroke episode where she had to crawl up a river bank from their river boat to obtain treatment. Don was trying to find out how their travelers' insurance would work when they discovered that the cost was 17 american dollars, he paid cash rather than submitting to insurance.

While all of the things listed above were interests, hobbies, and careers they were not her primary role. That was wife and mother. She was devoted to Don and his needs and allowed Kevin to explore all his interests, arranging lessons, working and saving to pay for summer sleep away camp, always building his self-esteem and teaching him to value his self worth. Her parenting style was not necessarily traditional as she treated him as an adult from a very early age and given it was the 1970's she was part of the free range parenting style so prevalent at that time. This was something Kevin wrote about in The Huffington Post (Cut and paste link to view story - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-was-the-victim-of-extreme-free-range-parenting_b_5966968).

She is survived by her devoted husband, Donald (Don) Morrow, her sarcastic son Kevin, and her fabulous daughter-in-law, Jana.

To honor Kay's legacy, we encourage you to contribute to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, where she devoted 1000's of hours of volunteer time and her dream was to have a hall named after her (unfortunately their business was never THAT good to make a donation that large). Donations can also be made to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, ensuring that furry friends everywhere can find warmth and comfort like her grandpets who were all rescues.

As we celebrate the vibrant life of Karen "Kay" Morrow, may her spirit forever inspire us to embrace laughter, spread joy, and seize every opportunity to dance in the rain. Rest assured, dear Kay, your light, wit, and even your cynicism and angst will forever dazzle our memories.