The staff of Whitley-Garner at Rosehaven Funeral Home and Memorial Park would like to extend our most sincere condolence to the Morris Family. We would like to thank you for entrusting the care of your loved one into our hands. Please remember you are not alone and we will always be here for you.


Dick (we always called him Dick or Dickie) was the oldest of 5 siblings.  In fact, he was so much older, that Robert, Catherine, and I often thought of him as our "favorite uncle."  When Dad transferred from Atlanta to Jacksonville, FL, Dick, now a young adult, stayed in Atlanta as we 3 younger siblings began kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 4th grade respectively.  We were always excited when Dick came to visit.  Dad would plan a deep sea fishing trip and Mom would cook up a storm, like it was Thanksgiving.  I always thought Dick had amazingly good hair....in a family of curly tops, his hair was straight as a stick and silky blond.  His blue eyes always sparkled behind his big glasses when he laughed.  My favorite was his voice.  Where'd he get that southern accent??!!? We younger siblings talked like "Yankees" according to Dad, but not Dick!  Dick was always upbeat.....always smiling and never a complainer.  He loved his family.  Gail was a wonderful wife and Dick loved her very much.

I remember my brother, Richard A. Morris.  When I realized that Covid would not allow me to part of Richard's service, I began to think through my many memories of him.  My first recollection was when he was in high school, and I must have been in preschool.  Of at that time Richard's hearing was still intact, and I recall how he loved music.  Specifically, the blues.  He would play them for hours at a time.  Once I asked him why he like the blues (most often played by black artists), and he said, "You don't listen to the blues; you feel them."  I also recall Richard was a great artist and won many awards growing up.  I don't think Richard had an easy time growing up.  Our father spent over 2 years fighting in WWII, and when he returned, he may have suffered from what we call today - PTSD.  Of course, I was not born yet, but I remember Mom talking about how Dad's time away and return from war was especially hard on Richard.  I don't think it helped that Richard started smoking early on in his life and once accidentally burn a neighbor's field, which my parents had to pay for.  He also took the family car each Saturday, fixed it up, and would drag race it down city streets, ultimately bringing it to an early demise.  Richard decided to stay in Atlanta when Dad's company transferred him to Jacksonville, FL.  So our visits became infrequent.  But when he did visit, he would take to the shooting range and taught me to handle a rifle.  He loved fishing, building models, and being in the woods.  He was always kind to me, his little brother.   One of the happiest times in his life was when Rick was born.  He was so proud of his new son.  I loved how Gail and her wonderful family entered Richard's life.  Faith and love filled their home.  Because of Gail, my brother became a churchman and faithful disciple.  I am grateful to our Lord for the way Gail loved my brother.

My first encounter with Dick Morris was Douglasville  Culture Art Center, 20 years ago. He was a curator and I was a visiting artiest. There was an immediate attraction and three months later we were married. 
  It was a fulfillment of a promise given to me by the Lord God. It was a God thing. A marriage made in heaven.

Visitation

Chapel Funeral Service 

Robert and Mary Morris

Gail D Morris

Richard A Morris Jr (Tara)

OBITUARY

Richard Allen Morris

6 April, 1940 – 16 June, 2022

Whitley Garner At Rosehaven Funeral Home

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