Hunter Mason Morris

After a life of service to country, religion, and all mankind, the Reverend-Canon Hunter Mason Morris passed away peacefully at home in the presence of his family after a long illness on December 22, 2010. His warmth, humor, and gentle spirituality will be greatly missed by family and friends. Hunter is survived by his wife of fifty-one years Janet Louise Pettis Morris, sister Suellen "Susie" Hutchison, sons Hunter Wade Morris and Lee Mason Morris, daughter in law Gayle Waskow Morris, grandchildren LeeAnn, Eric, and Kyle, and a large extended family of other relatives.

Hunter Morris was born on April 23, 1933 in depression-era San Angelo to Gilbert Marvin Morris and Doris Mason Morris. A descendant of pioneers, Hunter carried his West Texas friendliness with him for life. As a child he moved with his family to Austin and attended Austin High School. He was a delegate to the Texas Student Council and he joined the Forrest Guynn Cook social club. Indeed, he continued to serve the "Class of 1951" for many years as chairman for various class reunions. Hunter attended college at the University of Texas at Austin, where he pledged and was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

While attending classes at the University of Texas Hunter also enrolled in NROTC. After graduating from college he was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant. Hunter became a decorated veteran with an extensive service record.

Hunter transited from serving his country to serving his church. He enrolled in the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin from 1957-58. Hunter was then ordained at the Church of the Good Shepherd by Bishop John E. Hines. After ordination, Hunter served as Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Crockett, Texas, then Assistant Rector at St. John the Divine in Houston. He also remained active in the Navy Reserves as a chaplain attached to the Marines.

Rev. Hunter M. Morris was especially active as a progressive community leader in Houston in the 1960s. He became executive director of Protestant Charities and he founded the influential Houston Metropolitan Ministries (now Interfaith Ministries of Houston), an association devoted to ecumenical understanding. In a long career with the church, Hunter also served as executive director of the Episcopal Mission Society in New York City, executive officer in the Diocese of Arizona (where he was made Canon), president of the U. S. Conference of Diocesan Executives, regional director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and Rector of Emmanuel Church in Lockhart, Texas, among other church duties. As an acknowledgment of his interfaith work and support of the Civil Rights movement, Hunter Morris was an invited faith dignitary in the funeral procession of the Rev. Martin Luther King on April 8, 1968. Press photos of King’s funeral procession show Hunter in his clerical robes, part of the historic procession following the mule-drawn wagon bearing King’s coffin through the streets of Atlanta.

From New York to Arizona, but mostly in Texas, Hunter rarely said no to a worthy cause. He served on numerous boards and was an active member of many associations. He donated his executive skills and fund-raising abilities to the Boy Scouts of America, Texas Department of Public Welfare, East Texas Area Council, and Texas Department of Community Affairs. He lobbied politicians for fairness and charmed the wealthy to make charitable contributions. For many summers he ran Camp Allen, an Episcopal Church camp in East Texas. He was also active for many years in the Lions Club and Rotary Club. After Hunter retired to Austin, he served as executive director of Helping Our Brothers Out, which assisted the homeless of Austin.

Hunter Morris lived life fully. From a Dust Bowl childhood in West Texas to delegate to the Texas Student Council at Austin High School, and from the Cold War in Europe to peace on the mourning streets of Atlanta, Hunter Mason Morris was a man living largely in a special time. He knew war, but he wanted and believed in peace. He was a born leader, a decorated war veteran, an ecumenical church leader, a devoted family man, and a true-blue Texan. He loved bass fishing and excelled in making his own lures and rods. His pleasures were camping, philately, grandchildren, and growing his own vegetables. He was interested in genealogy and proud of his ancestors and relished talking with his friends. Hunter M. Morris spent most of his life in service to others, which provided him with numerous friendships and inner strength. He will be mourned on earth, but made welcome in heaven.

The Funeral service will be held Monday December 27th at 2pm at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church at 3201 Windsor Road, Austin, TX 78703. Memorial contributions can be sent to the National Kidney Foundation or American Diabetes Association. Obituary and memorial guestbook available online at www.wcfish.com