James Daniel Morrison

Jim Morrison was born in Cleveland, OH, on May 17, 1943, to Daniel Clarance and Helen Mildred Wilbur Morrison. He is survived by his only sibling, a sister Mary Ann Morrison Kincaid, his brother-in-law William R. (Bill) Kincaid, both of Arlington, VA; his nephew Brian Kincaid of Alexandria, VA; a nephew Andrew Kincaid and his wife Katrina of Austin, TX; 5 grandnieces and grandnephews, Jamey, Lillie, Emily, Drew and Clara. Both parents are deceased.

He passed away on June 11, 2026, at the age of 83, at the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) in Washington, DC. He will be buried at the Palm Cemetery in Las Vegas, NV, beside his mother, who moved there in 1989 after her retirement.

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on November 23, 1964, and rose to the rank of Master Sergeant, receiving an honorable discharge on October 1, 1985. He completed one year at the Community College of the Air Force and worked in the Medical Corps, first with the veterinary service and later in food and kitchen sanitation compliance.

While in the military, he had several extended overseas assignments – one to Germany, one to Naples, Italy, one to Ankara, Turkey, and one shorter one in the Azores. He took full advantage of those locations – traveling all over Europe, including to the Alps, and later through the Middle East. We have a photo of him on a camel! Stateside assignments included McCord AFB, WA; Pope AFB, NC; McGuire AFB, NJ; and Beale AFB, CA.

Following his discharge, he became a resident of Las Vegas, NV, selected for three basic requirements – it was warm (to say the least), it had no state income tax, and Nellis AFB was nearby so he could receive various services. Principally, however, he selected it because it was located in the Southwest, the part of the U. S. that he loved the most.

He resided there until moving to the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, DC, as of February 2, 2016.

He had multiple lifelong interests – in art, photography, geology and travel!

Art was a major interest in his life, and some of his paintings are on display in this room. It was an interest he developed in his youth, when he began drawing cartoons. He continued this even in the Air Force, once drawing a cartoon on the cover of his class notebook. Under the drawing of a ferocious dog were the words, “We vets guard our service dogs.”

After moving to this facility, he made full use of his cubicle in the art room, and many of those works are on display at the home. One of his paintings featured his favorite park, Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas. He visited this park at least once a week, taking all the back trails where most tourists don’t go!

As an extension of his artistic bent, he loved photography. He got his first camera – a Brownie – while a teenager. As an adult, he graduated to higher quality cameras and was passionate about taking photos with the right light and focus! For that reason, he hated rainy or cloudy days when there wasn’t enough light to take good photos.

Another dominant interest was traveling, especially in the Southwest United States, with an interest in geology. He visited every National and State Park where he took thousands of photos of mountains, trees and scenic vistas. He loved the complex natural development of the region, with its layers in some areas and its twisted, gnarled and eroded formations elsewhere. And he joyfully described the various layers of rocks and their composition.

Although diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease – which prompted his move to this area – he remained ready to go pretty much anywhere at any time. At the AFRH, he served on the movie selection committee and once attended an event with dogs to pet. He also went on every trip he could manage, especially to Olive Garden or other restaurants, or to his favorite store, Walmart, where he stocked up on snacks. Over the last few years, he had gone to the Military Tattoo at Fort Myer, a Nationals Game, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and other Smithsonian museums.

His family cannot express enough our heartfelt appreciation for the care that he received at AFRH. Everyone – the nursing staff, the doctors, the physical therapists, the recreation director, the art teacher, the social workers, the cafeteria workers, the Protestant chaplain, the maintenance staff who hung all the pictures in his room – have been so caring and positive and encouraging. We are especially grateful for the opportunity to hold his memorial service at the home so that those who knew him best could say goodbye! Thank you.

A Memorial Service will be held at Armed Forces Retirement Home - Washington DC, 140 Rock Creek Church Rd NW, Washington, DC 20011, US, on June 29, 2026, at 10:30am.