A Life Sketch for Colin Morris
Colin Morris was born on March 24, 1934, in the small mining town of Abertillery, Wales. He was the fourth child of Stanley Charles Morris and Eliza Anne Weaver. After his father was seriously injured in a mining accident, the Morris family emigrated to Bristol, England. During the Second World War, Colin and his older sister Betty were evacuated back to Abertillery due to the intense bombing of Bristol by the German Luftwaffe. There his big sister was his best friend, guardian, and spiritual mentor. Upon returning to Bristol at age 11, Colin and his sister began to attend a Sunday School at the Bedminster Tabernacle near their home. It was there, under the anointed teaching of Mr. Moody, that Colin learned more about Jesus. He also met a beautiful young lady named Florencina Maria Ramseyer. They were both baptized as followers of Jesus at Bedminster Tabernacle at age 13.
There had always been a special bond between Colin and his older sister Betty. When Betty contracted tuberculosis in her late teens, young Colin enrolled in the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade where he learned basic first aid. He cared for his beloved sister until her death at age 21, contracting tuberculosis himself in the process. During the months he spent confined to bed at home, many other young men expressed interest in his special friend Florencina, but she refused to be drawn away from her childhood sweetheart. Not long after his recovery, Colin and Florencina were married at the Bedminster Tabernacle. They were just 17 years old.
A turning point in their lives occurred in 1953 while visiting Florencina’s mother. Colin picked up a Voice of Prophecy Bible School card that someone had slipped under his mother-in-law’s door. He decided to enroll in Bible studies, and after months of careful study of the Word of God, Colin and Florencina became members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bristol, England. This was one more step in their life-changing journey together. After working for several years as a Quantity Surveyor Assistant, Colin sensed the call of God to become a pastor.
In 1960, Colin, Florencina, and their two young boys Stuart and Derek, moved East from Bristol to the small village of Binfield, Berkshire, where Colin attended Newbold College. He completed a BA in Theology with honors four years later. Pastor Colin Morris began his formal pastoral ministry in 1964 in Southampton, England, serving during the next 13 years in London, Hastings, Brighton, and then back to London. During his years as a pastor in the south of England, Colin continued his graduate studies, earning an MA in Religion with honors from Andrews University. In 1977, Colin emigrated with his wife Florencina to the United States of America.
For the next 27 years, Colin served as a pastor and hospital chaplain in Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland, and Kentucky before retiring after 40 years of ministry to Deltona, Florida, with his wife Florencina in 2004. Even in retirement, Pastor Morris was actively involved in ministry, preaching and teaching the Word of God to all who longed for a closer relationship with Jesus. Colin and Florencina moved to an independent living facility in DeLand, Florida in 2016 where they spent their final years. When Florencina died on June 14, 2020, Colin was heartbroken. Best friends since they were 11 years old, and married for almost 69 years, Colin couldn’t imagine life without his sweetheart. He died three months later on September 13, 2020, but he
did not die without hope. Trusting in the promises of Jesus his Savior, Colin had the assurance of eternal life. The headstone where he will be laid to rest next to his beloved life companion expresses the blessed hope he and Florencina shared: Together Forever.
Colin is survived by his two sons, Stuart and Derek, three grandchildren, and six greatgrandchildren. His family longs for the day when God will make all things new.
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