Michael Morris

Michael David Morris

June 18, 1955 - August 28, 2014

Michael Morris, who was an indispensable part of numerous Greenpeace protests, direct actions and campaigns, died Aug. 28th on a beach near Jacksonville, Fla., at age 59. His acerbic wit, love for nature and steadfast loyalty touched everyone who knew and loved him.

"Mikey Mo," as he was known, was a director of the door-to-door canvass of Greenpeace's San Francisco office in the 1980s-90s. But his dedication to the environmental movement put him on the front lines again and again. Whether stopping a toxic waste incinerator in Arizona or sporting a polar bear costume on a Rainbow Warrior tour of Alaska, Mike was always there, putting in long hours for little pay, risking arrest and his own safety.

Mike was born in Mansfield, Ohio. He graduated from Duncan Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, Fla., and from Florida State University, where he studied English literature and philosophy.

Mike was passionate and knowledgeable about films, especially film noir, and boasted that he'd seen every great film in English and was working his way through other languages. He loved the work of Hunter S. Thompson, a wide range of music, and the Montana-Young era 49ers. (In one lapse of good taste, he was also a Yankees fan)

As news of Mike's passing spread, tributes and remembrances poured in.

"I've never known anyone who was smarter, funnier, sweeter, or as gentle as he."

"Mike had an artist's soul."

"Your heart was too big for this world."

A brother, Chuck Morris of Naples, Fla., and a nephew, Matt Morris survive him and hundreds of friends and comrades who loved him, laughed with him and worked beside him to try to make a better world.

A memorial service in San Francisco is planned for Sunday, Sept. 7th. Mike's ashes will be scattered in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Donations in his memory may be made to Climate Ground Zero or The Watershed Project.