Remembrance by Kate Morris Curtin
E.A. Jackson Morris (Jack) was a cradle Episcopalian, born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove. Following his marriage to Virginia O’Rourke in 1952, they made a life-changing choice and moved west to Cody, Wyoming where Jack was responsible for the entire Cody High School music department. After 4 years, and with the purpose of eventually pursuing a doctorate degree in music, he and the rest of the burgeoning Morris family arrived in Ann Arbor in the Fall of 1956. As with most transplants, Jack church-shopped for a short time, but was drawn to the people (like Carol Plumer!) and smaller conventions of St. Clare’s, which reminded him of the small Episcopal mission church he had grown up in. And, it didn’t hurt that the church was a short walk from their recently purchased home on Sylvan Ave! Not one to sit in the wings when there was work to be done, he joined the choir and not long after became the choir director. Jack was incredibly passionate about music and the integral part it plays in our worship services at St. Clare’s. I firmly believe the quality and breadth of our amazing music program here was conceived and had its beginnings during that time. He eventually stepped down as director, but continued in the choir. In 1979 he was a major contributor of time, talent, and treasure with the purchase & installation of our pipe organ, which was originally installed in the sanctuary that we now use as the social hall. Over his 65 plus years as a member of St. Clare’s, Jack also served on the vestry, participated in the Habitat for Humanity house building project with TBE, and was a stalwart champion of the many ‘food for the hungry’ programs the church participated in before, after and including the creation of and continued support of our Back Door Food Pantry. But Jack had one more plan, one more lasting way to contribute to the longevity and life of the St. Clare’s community he loved. With that in mind, he put forth the idea for a fund that would provide resources to assist in meeting the parishes annual operating expenses in the event donations were not sufficient enough to meet the obligations of those yearly expenditures. And in 2021 the Assisi Fund was established with Jack providing the initial endowment. While Virginia was bound by, and therefore honored the convention of raising their eight children in the Catholic Church, beginning in the early 1980’s, she joined Jack at St. Clare’s, and together they found joy, pursued faith, and worked in the service of others for the remainder of their lives.
