Christopher was born on September 12, 1973 in Falls Church, Virginia to John Von Maur (Von) and Elizabeth Ann (Mock) Morse. He graduated in 1992 from Parkway Central High School in St. Louis County, Missouri, then from Drury College in Springfield, Missouri in 1996 with a BA in Biology. While in college he discovered his love for stage acting and the martial arts - both skills would serve him well in later years.
Following his father’s example, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1997 and was commissioned through Officer Candidate School. He deployed twice to the Middle East (Operation Iraqi Freedom). At sea he was actively involved in naval coastal warfare, protecting high value assets transiting the Persian Gulf. Then he performed anti-terrorism work, identifying potential security gaps for our interests on land.
In 2003 Christopher transitioned to the Naval Reserves, taking a break from active duty to try his luck as an actor in Hollywood. He had some fun run-ins with celebrities and nearly missed being chosen for the second season of “The Apprentice”. It wasn’t too long before he transitioned from actor to stock broker, partly following another set of his father’s footsteps but also, in his words, “because I needed to eat”. He quickly rose to manage an Edward Jones office in the greater Los Angeles area.
Mentoring an ROTC club reignited his love of military life, so in 2006 he welcomed his recall to active duty. He deployed a third time to the Middle East continuing anti-terrorism work. Upon his return the Lieutenant Commander took up the Executive Officer position at the St. Louis Naval Operation Support Center to be near his ailing father. While there he met, and later married, Dr. Jennifer Leigh Umphress.
The Navy was downsizing in 2009, so Christopher changed services to become a Major in the Army Military Intelligence Corps. While in the Army he deployed with I Corps as part of the joint NATO forces in Afghanistan (ISAF, Operation Enduring Freedom). He served as Chief of Staff in Kandahar, then was the Joint Intelligence Staff Officer in Kabul. In 2013, Christopher was assigned to Third Army/ U.S. Army Central Command as Intelligence Planner and rose to Intelligence Plans Chief. Chris played a vital role in the creation of the Combined Joint Task Force for Operation Inherent Resolve (the US-led international coalition fighting ISIS).
Christopher retired from the Army to the Morse family home in Bloomfield Township, Michigan in 2015. He ran for the U.S. Congress in 2016, earning the Republican nomination for Michigan’s Ninth District
seat. As a first-time candidate pitted against an entrenched incumbent, he surprised everyone with a grass-roots campaign that won an impressive 37% of the vote.
Christopher was a member of Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He is survived by his wife Jennifer, mother Elizabeth Geers, brother John Von Maur Morse , Jr., and sister Stacy Elizabeth Morse.
A funeral service was held on Wednesday July 25th at Christ Church Cranbrook. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers please send donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Fisher House, or the Ronald McDonald house.
