At 73 years of age, Jeremiah Morris went to be with the Lord. He passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on the night of August 5, 2020, at his home in Killeen, Texas. His life journey began on September 25, 1946, in Twist, Arkansas, where he was born to Cazzie Morris and Corena Lovelace Morris as the 12th of 14 children. Known as “Jerry” to family and friends alike, he was raised on the family’s farm in Colt, Arkansas, where he attended a local elementary school, followed by Lincoln High School in nearby Forrest City.
Upon graduating in 1963, Jerry followed his older siblings, relocating to Chicago, Illinois. There, he spent the beginning of his young adulthood working at the Montgomery Ward distribution center and as a taxi driver. Having accepted Christ at an early age, Jerry joined The Church of the Living God, Pillar and Ground of the Truth, where he served as choir president. He also started a family during this time, with his first marriage to Joyce Rembert and the birth of their daughters, Andrea (“Kim”) and Alicia.
In 1967, Jerry became the fourth among his brothers to enlist in the military, whereby he joined the U.S. Air Force and subsequently spent three years living and working in South Dakota as an administrative specialist before serving a 1-year tour of duty in Guam and Vietnam. After receiving the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) (per Air Force Manual (AFM) 900-3), he was honorably discharged and returned to Chicago in 1971, where he began his 26-year career as a municipal bus driver for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
Those years were a heyday for Jerry, a time of cultivating community and celebrating life to its absolute fullest. He was the life of the party, especially during his infamous backyard barbecues, and had a way of making everyone around him feel like family. In his more spirited moments, you’d find Jerry enjoying a sporting event, dancing, playing a card game, recounting old stories, or telling jokes over drinks. Otherwise, you might find him quietly reading the Sunday newspaper from cover to cover, diligently working on his car, meticulously mowing his lawn, or studiously assembling something he’d built or guiding one of his children accordingly. In later years, he welcomed his third daughter, Jerryce, and with his second marriage to Diane Hyde in 1994, he also welcomed daughters Qiana and Quatrice, expanding his brood to five.
Jerry was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Cal Morris, Relonial Morris, Johnny Morris, Eddie Morris, and L.C. Morris; and sisters, Ernestine Nunn, Ethel Ross, Pinkie Velásquez, Emma Lyde, and Christine Dixon.
He leaves behind his beloved wife, Diane; five daughters, Andrea Parkins (Paul), Alicia Morris, Qiana Maddox, Quatrice Lee (Alphonso), and Jerryce Smith (Chris); six grandchildren, Edmond Parkins, Erinn Parkins, Janiah Mays, Madison Mays, Kennadi Smith, and Alexandria Lee; two sisters, Miriahm Morris and Louise Westbrooks; one brother, Willie Morris; three brothers-in-law, Jesse Dixon, Mark A. Hyde, and Brian K. Hyde; two sisters-in-law, Beverly Hyde and Zelda Hyde; a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, and many he called friends; and his four-legged sidekick, April.
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