She attended schools in West, Seaton, and Rogers, Texas. Katherine was a 1978 graduate of Rogers High School where she excelled academically. She soon married and devoted herself to raising her family; balancing the responsibilities of motherhood with a variety of part-time jobs. She was always there to greet her children after school, preparing snacks, assisting with homework, and supporting their extracurricular activities.
Later, Katherine pursued a passion for the arts, earning an Associate of Arts Degree from Temple College, where she discovered her love for painting, sketching, and creating beautiful works in various mediums. Her artistic talent was recognized when one of her pieces was displayed in a local gallery and purchased by a collector.
In 1998, Katherine began a fulfilling career with the SPJST, where she served as an assistant to the Editor and Director of Communications. In this role, she poured her heart and soul into editing and proof-reading the organization’s newspaper, the Věstník, ensuring that member’s stories and messages were conveyed with the utmost care and precision.
Katherine was preceded in death by her parents, Nick A. Morris and Dorothy Marcella (née Liška) Morris; paternal grandparents, Jan Štěpán Morys & Ana Eliška (née Mareš) Morys; and maternal grandparents, Stanley Liška & Cecilie (née Nekuža) Liška.
Katherine is survived by her long-time partner, Wayne Orange of Little River-Academy; children, Joshua Smith of Temple; Jason Smith (Cassandra) of Austin; and Victoria Chips (Matthew) of Georgetown.
Brothers, Nicholas Morris (Natalie) of Rock Hill, South Carolina; Stephen Morris (Suzan) of Austin; Josef Morris (Pam) of Temple, Michael Morris (Cynthia) of Temple…along with many nieces and nephews.
Death is not the final word…Jesus is.
Funeral services will be held at 9:30 am Saturday February 15, 2025 at Scanio-Harper Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Seaton Cemetery. The family will receive visitors from 4-6:00 pm Friday February 14, 2025 at the funeral home.
Flowers are welcome and should be sent to Scanio-Harper Funeral Home.
Please send monetary donations to:
Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center (TCHCC)
czechtexas.org
or
Texas Czech Genealogical Society (TCGS)
txczgs.org.
