Susan Eck Morris

Mary Susan Eck was born in Springfield, IL, the daughter of Albert and C. Olive Pfeffer Eck, sister of Al (Nancy), John (Linda), and Sara (Jim, deceased) ORourke. She attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School and Sacred Heart Academy in Springfield. When she was a senior in high school, she met Jim Morris, (a great athlete, at Notre Dame University who impressed Sue with his deep spiritual side as well as his ability to quote Shakespeare) and a friendship formed. Sue enrolled at St. Marys College for their equestrian and chemistry programs. Jim and Sue dated throughout college and wed at Blessed Sacrament Church in 1958. Their children, Marie (Tim) Gabrielsen, Cathy Priest, Chuck (Rose Frantzen), Theresa (Gerry) Connolly, Mike (Mimi), and Sarah (Nick) Allen soon completed their family, until she began welcoming and nurturing 18 grandchildren: Natalia, Lara, Noah, and Anna Gabrielsen; Mike, James, and Katie Priest; Kieran, Sarah, and Liam Connolly; Benjamin, Max, Ryan, and Helen Morris; Jack, Maggie, Elizabeth, and Emma Allen. Annually, Sue and Jim took their six children to Christian Family Camp starting in 1973 and have hosted regular art weekends for the entire family since 1998. Sue taught Blessed Sacrament grade school art and high school religion at Ursuline Academy and Sacred Heart Academy. Jim and Sue taught CCD at Blessed Sacrament. She taught sewing to underserved women, assisting them in creating prom dresses and fully lined jackets. She enjoyed volunteer work with Junior League, Family Life Board, and the CYO Board. She directed At Home Retreats and coordinated Parish Pre-Cana Programs. As director of Salt and Light, she provided retreats and missions based on themes of peace and social justice. Sue was co-founder of the Springfield Right to Life and was Associate Director of the Diocesan Office of Social Concerns for nine years. She organized Directed (Individual) Retreats for 25 years at the Villa Maria Catholic Life Center in Springfield. She served on the preaching team at Kings House Retreat Center in Belleville for seven years. Locally, she was on the original board of directors for Habitat for Humanity and served as president of the board in 1993. She was an original board member for Mercy Community which houses and mentors single parent families in need. Nationally, Sue was on the U.S. Catholic Conference and was on the Board of Directors for the Round Table of Catholic Social Concerns Directors. She was director of Diocesan Implementation of US Bishops Pastoral on Economic Justice for All and was a member and organizer of Pax Christi. Together, Sue and Jim ran Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) retreats. They founded and have served as international coordinators of the Koinonia weekend retreat program since they started it in 1976. Koinonia has now been held in 29 states and three foreign countries. More than 50,000 people have attended these weekend retreats. They have been on their parishs Right of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) team for more than 30 years and directed "Nineteenth Annotation Ignatian Retreats of the Spiritual Exercises" for more than 20 years. Between the years 1997-2008, they organized and led eight "Living Stones" Pilgrimages to the Holy Land. They have given Peace and Justice Retreats in the Midwest and Florida and have provided retreats for couples in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Minnesota. Jim and Sue often worked as a team, and in 1990 Sue and Jim were honored by the College of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois as the "Outstanding Catholic Lay Persons in the State of Illinois." In 2009, they received the Pax Joliet Award for their work in the area of Peace and Justice. In both cases, it has been the only time these awards have been given to a married couple. Sue had a knack of connecting deeply with people, always interested in the lives and well-being of others. She was a very active member of the Church of the Little Flower Catholic Church. She loved her husband, children, and grandchildren, nature, horses, springtime, fog, cross-country skiing, Jeopardy, fabric stores and remnants, sewing, creating and enjoying art, morning prayer time, laughing, teaching, learning, giving and going on retreats, Jims singing voice, canoeing, giving haircuts, summer, fishing, ice skating, winter, swimming, gardening, flower arranging, fall, bargains, shoes, the Holy Land, accepting a good challenge, cooking for her family, welcoming others, being of service, and spending time with her friends and family. She was preceded in death by her parents. Visitation and Funeral Mass: The family will receive friends for visitation from 11:00 - 12:45 on Saturday, October 14, at the Church of the Little Flower, 800 Adlai Stevenson Drive, Springfield, IL, followed by her funeral mass at the same location beginning at 1:00 pm with Msgr. Thomas Holinga and Rev. Allen M. Kemme, concelebrants. A private family burial will be held at Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to: Church of the Little Flower, 800 Adlai Stevenson Drive, Springfield, IL 62703 or Koinonia of Springfield, c/o Mikki Buhl, 1912 N. 20th St.,, Springfield, IL 62702.