Jean Elizabeth Morton

On December 15, 2023, Jean E. Morton passed away in Bonney Lake, Washington. She was 94 years and 5 months old. Jean is survived by son B. Leighton Morton; daughter Kelley J. Hutchison and spouse Steve Hutchison; daughter Laurell A. Morton and spouse Marcia Cutler; 3 granddaughters, 1 grandson, their 3 spouses and 8 great grandchildren. Jean will be interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Seattle, Washington on Monday, February 19th, 2024.

Jean was born July 15, 1929 in Petersburg, Alaska. She married Bob, B.H. Morton, in 1950. The first 20 years of their marriage were spent moving their kids from fishing villages to coastal towns in Alaska and the west coast. Bob dredged boat harbors and built docks. When all their kids were nearly raised, Bob switched to building aluminum boats and commercial fish processing. Jean took over the office and helped make their businesses very successful.

Jean was vivacious and adventuresome. In 1965 -- when women didn't do this sort of thing -- Jean took four kids, aged 16, 13, 6, and 5, on the car trip of their lives. They went from Homer, Alaska, to Pottsville, Arkansas, seeing family, friends, and everything from Yellowstone to Disneyland. Jean bragged that, by herself, she took her kids through all but two of the states on “this side” of the Mississippi.

In 1962 Jean waged a successful fight on the PTA for sex education for 6th-grade girls. She was very involved in Girl Scouts, a lifelong member of Emblem Club, and an active member of the Seattle Genealogical Society. In the last 10+ years of her life she developed Alzheimer's. And even in her memory care residence she was considered an adorable crackerjack!