Grace Marie Morrison

Grace Marie Morrison died with her granddaughter Terren at her side on November 5th. The first child of Maybell and Richard Wheeler, she was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on June 7th 1919. Her brother Robert followed in 1920. The family moved to Omaha and along with her maternal grandparents, drove an Essex across the country to the Eugene area where they joined her aunt’s family. That journey with her first views of the Rockies and the smells and sounds of the McKenzie River area were some of her favorite memories.

Later they moved to Corvallis where she attended Corvallis H.S. When she was 15, her mother boarded a bus to Portland to find a baby girl that she read about in the newspaper who was available for adoption. This became her baby sister Beverly.

In 1937 she met Jack Morrison at Oregon State College and they married two years later and moved to Portland. Grace Marie loved being a homemaker. She was an excellent gardener, cook, seamstress and knitter. She enjoyed golf and playing cards with friends.

With eight grandchildren she loved any project related to them. She made camel-hair coats for the girls, knitted Christmas stockings for all and sewed an endless number of Barbie clothes. She and Jack built and decorated a large dollhouse for their granddaughter Heather. Holidays were always a special time with many decorations and great food.

In their later years, she and Jack spent the winter in Palm Springs and traveled around the world. After Jack retired they moved to Sunriver, where they spent many happy years, She served as president of the Sunriver Women’s Club.

Their last years together were spent at Cherry Wood Village in Portland. Jack died in 2007, after 67 happy years together. In 2013 she moved to the Bec Adult Foster Care home, a very loving home for her final days.

Grace Marie was a happy joyful person. At the end of her life she expressed that she

couldn’t have asked for a better life. Both she and Jack exemplified the saying that: "a life well lived lasts for generations."

Grace Marie is survived by sons Jack (Billie) and Glen Morrison, daughter Barbara Morrison, all of Portland, brother Robert (Arlene) Wheeler of Corvallis, sister Beverly Hiersche of McMinnville. Grandchildren: Terren, Paula, Heather, Troy, Aaron, David, Travis and Trent. She had 15 great and 7 great-great grandchildren.

Special thanks to the Bec home; Elizabeta, John, Mikey, Nadia and House Call Providers Hospice for their loving care in the last week of her life.