Cynthia Dyer Morris

Cynthia’s perseverance was on full display from the early age of 8, when her Appaloosa colt, “Zebie” bit her on the rear during her presentation at the 4H show. She carried on and displayed the persistence which propelled her through life. After graduating from Baker High School (Baker Buff), LSU (Delta Zeta) and the LSU School of Nursing, she successfully navigated a decades long career as a Registered Nurse. Following the sudden loss of her husband, Kyle Hunter “Buck” Morris, Jr. in 1986, Cynthia devoted herself to her career and raising her two young children. She excelled in many clinical and administrative roles, including Chief Nurse Executive of Womans Hospital, Assistant Executive Director of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, and Chief Nurse Executive of Earl K. Long Hospital. By that time, she had earned her Masters Degree in Nursing and Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification in Psychiatric-Mental Health. She utilized this training by volunteering as a grief counselor at the Louisiana Correction Institute for Women, along with her dear friend and colleague Donna Diez. She began her career when nurses wore white hats and pantyhose, and concluded it as an Advanced Practice Nurse, helping others in their development. She is preceded in death by her husband, Kyle Hunter “Buck” Morris (1986), her parents, William Samuel Dyer, Lola Mae (Sanders) Dyer, Olive Elise “Sally” Morris, and Irma Burns Dyer, her brother, Samuel Sanders Dyer, and her brother-in-law, Robert Collins. She is survived by her loving husband, Thomas R. Klei of Baton Rouge, her devoted son, William Kyle Morris (wife Deelee Szczurek Morris and their daughter Violet Elise Morris) of Baton Rouge, her daughter, Laura Morris Goodson (husband Bradley Ray Goodson and their sons Gabriel and Kyle Goodson) of Metairie, Tom’s daughter, Catherine Klei Brackin (husband James Brackin and their son Thomas James Brackin) of Baton Rouge, her sister, Jan Clanton Collins of Birmingham, Alabama, and her brother-in-law, Dennis Benson of Roseville, Michigan. There are lifelong friends too many to list, for Cynthia always had an ear to listen. In 2019, Cynthia and Tom married, and continued to share many adventures. They could be found dancing at Jazz Fest, finding the best or most exotic restaurant in any city, making “olive mix gorp” for the holidays or taking long road trips to the Southwest, Rocky Mountains or Northern Michigan. In recent years this also included riding horses with gauchos on the Pampas of Argentina, cruising the romantic Danube, the western Caribbean, and the waters of Alaska. A piece of her heart will always be in Gulf Shores, Kanuga (North Carolina), Scotland and Greece. She always had a pile of cookbooks and a stack of recipes she loved and recipes she wanted to try. Maybe enough to assemble a cookbook one day? She was also a voracious reader of fiction and nonfiction until the end. She persevered until Wednesday, December 16, eight days after her seventy-third birthday, when she passed peacefully. The family extends their deepest gratitude to Dr. Lara Falcon and Hospice of Baton Rouge for their outstanding care. Due to Covid-19, a graveside ceremony will be held privately. A Celebration of Life Service to be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider Hospice of Baton Rouge (https://hospicebr.org/giving/donate) or the American Nurses Association (https://www.nursingworld.org/foundation/donate/) as she did.