Rayburn Murl Morrison

Rayburn Murl Morrison died September 24, 2013 at the Rosewood Health Center of The Cypress of Raleigh. Ray was born in Clarksburg, WV on May 30, 1934 to the late Audrey Murl Morrison and Carolyn Jeanne Faucette Morrison. He graduated from Washington Irving High School and West Virginia University, obtaining a BS in Chemical Engineering and Business Administration and an MS in Engineering. When attending WVU, he was affiliated with Phi Kappa Alpha Social Fraternity; Sphinx, a senior men’s honorary society, and Sigma Gamma Epsilon, earth science honorary society. Ray had a life membership in the West Virginia Alumni Association and was an enthusiastic Mountaineer fan.

While at WVU, he met and married Patricia Ann Napier. They started their home and family in Morgantown, WV and later moved to Maryland and Ohio. They moved back to West Virginia before coming to Raleigh in 1968 to work with the Environmental Protection Agency. An avid traveler, Ray retired from EPA in 1989 in order to visit historic sites with his son.

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by infant daughters Roxanna Cole and Carolyn Francis and sons Timothy Rayburn and David Patrick. Ray is survived by his wife of 54 years; his sister Sondra Switzer; nephew Jeffrey Switzer and wife Beth and their daughters Hannah and Hailey all of Charleston, SC; cousin Charles L. Morrison and wife Sallyann; and his life-long friend Dr. Frank Gemma and wife Lislie of Elizabethtown. Also surviving are extended family Jeane and George Joyner and daughters Katherine Mawhinney and Julie Malone; Jolene and Roger Miedema, daughter Jayne Ann and son Jayson.

A memorial service will be held at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 1520 Canterbury Road, Raleigh on Monday, September 30 at 2 p.m. The service will be officiated by Rev. Samuel Gregory Jones with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall. A private family burial will be held at Raleigh Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the St. Michael’s music fund, the SPCA of Wake County, or the American Heart Association.

The family expresses their sincere appreciation to Dr. Steven Liebowitz and the staff at the Rosewood for their compassionate care of Ray and support for Pat.