January 19 1927 May 08 2020
Edith’s Obituary Dr. Edith Oline Morris, educator, actress, novelist and poet, died May 8, 2020 in Georgetown TX after a long life and a short illness. She was 93. Edith was born in Ballinger TX and was the daughter of Aswell Hill Roberts of Goldthwaite, TX and Adda Garrett Roberts of Star TX. She was the sixth of seven children, all of whom preceded her in death. In 1932 the Roberts family moved to a ranch near Roswell NM, where she graduated from high school in 1945. After working for the American Telephone and Telegraph Co. for four years, she received an Alfred Avery scholarship and entered Emerson College in Boston MA, where she studied theater arts. Edith also worked as a fashion model and acted in summer stock theater at Yosemite National Park under the direction of noted film and television director Peter Tewksbury. Returning home to New Mexico, Edith suspended her education when she met and wed U.S. Air Force Lt. David Gratiot Morris of Evanston IL in 1953. The couple had three sons before an aircraft accident in 1957 took her husband’s life. Edith and the children settled in Abilene TX. Between parenting and working, she attended McMurry College and Hardin Simmons University as a part-time student. Her interest in theater led to creative writing courses and she studied philosophy, psychology, history, biology, religion, Russian literature and journalism. She also worked as an advertising copywriter for the Abilene Reporter-News, a daily newspaper. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in history from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1976 and a masters degree in English with a minor in education from Abilene Christian University in 1979. During 1980 she worked as a substitute teacher for the Abilene Independent School District. She moved to Carrizo Springs TX in 1981 and taught English to speakers of other languages and studied linguistics at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In the summer of 1984 she entered the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Education, where, in 1992 and at age 65, she earned her Ph.D. in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. In her dissertation, Edith presciently explored curriculum options for home school students years before parents began regularly seeking such opportunities. After finishing her doctoral degree, Edith realized that she had two grandchildren whom she wanted to know better so she moved to Liberty MO to be near. For the next couple of decades she babysat Sarah and Will Morris, attended their school events and taught them to drive. For a time, Edith worked as an adjunct English instructor at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City. While in Liberty, Edith composed “The Pursuit of Happiness,” an epic allegorical poem about Natural Law that reflected her lifelong passion for John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” After returning to her native Texas in 2013 she completed “Grande,” a sprawling semi-autobiographical novel depicting the life of a young woman in rural New Mexico during World War II. She was working to secure publication when she entered nursing care at The Wesleyan at Scenic in Georgetown. Edith was a member of a number of Christian denominations during her life, starting, and finally ending with, The Church of Christ, with stops at Lutheran, Baptist, Mormon and United Methodist congregations along the way. Hers was a pious soul and The Holy Bible never was far from her hand. Her survivors include son Mark R. Morris, his wife, Carolyn Cupp of Liberty MO, and their children, Sarah Rankin of Santa Cruz CA and Will Morris of Peoria IL; son Paul G. Morris and his wife Shawn Boyd of Georgetown TX; and son Timothy M. Morris, his wife Sherri Morris of Henderson NV, and their children, Nikki Jensen of Duluth MN, Chris Jensen of Eugene OR and Shana Jensen of Orlando FL. A memorial service is not now possible, though one likely will be scheduled later. Read More
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Edith Oline Morris January 19 1927 May 08 2020.
Death notice for the town of: Georgetown, state: Texas