Richard J. Morrow - Downing & Lahey Mortuaries and Crematory

Richard’s eulogy . . .

On behalf of the Morrow family, thank you for being here to honor Richard Morrow. We also feel the presence of the many friends and family members that Dad outlived.

We thank the various caregivers he had, including the Phoenix hospice staff and nurse’s aides, and everyone at the Reflection Ridge retirement community. A special thank you to Jessica Ahmed, Dad’s private caregiver. We thank Fr. David, Fr. Ty, and the parishioners of St. Anne for all they do.

Richard was preceded in death by Tillie, his wife of 66 years, his parents, and older brothers Bill and Jack. Richard and Tillie are survived by their four children, Tony, Danny, Tina, and Lisa, and their families, and also by four nephews and a niece. Dad was particularly close to his nephew, Mike Morrow, and we are thankful Mike and his wife, Laura, are here from Columbia MO.

Richard Joseph (Dick) Morrow was born on March 23rd, 1930, in Edina, MO, a small town of around 1,500 in northeast Missouri. Richard was the third of three children born to Onie and Ada (Dolan) Morrow and grew up in Edina, graduating from St. Joseph Catholic High School in 1948.

Richard was very athletic, even as a child. When he was in 8th grade, the high school’s fast-pitch softball team was expected to be very good. It was determined the team would be even better if Dad played 3rd base for them, so the principal of the high school, a sister, arranged with the proper authorities for Dad to play on the high school fast-pitch team as an 8th grader, and “redshirting” during his 9th grade year.

Dad is the all-time leading scorer for the basketball team at St. Joseph High School in Edina, and will be forever, as the school closed a few years after he graduated. Whenever our family visited Edina, several of the townspeople would tell us stories about watching Dad play high school basketball.

Dad had many stories from his basketball days, and here are two of his favorites. Dad was near-sighted and didn’t wear his glasses when playing, so he sometimes asked Jack, his older brother and teammate, for the score. No matter the actual score, Jack’s answer was some form of, “We’re behind, so you need to pick it up.” The other is during a road game, the opposition team was called for multiple technical fouls, and the home crowd filled the gym with boos and jeers. Despite the crowd noise, Dad went to the free-throw line and made shot after shot. The referee told him quietly when handing Dad the ball, “It would make it easier on me if you would miss one.”

Dad was a little self-conscious about his education, but boasted he was the only one in our family to graduate in the top ten of their high school class. There were nine students in Dad’s graduating class.

As children, we knew that Dad followed his brother, Jack, to Marquette University in Milwaukee for one semester before leaving. It wasn’t until we were adults that we learned in Dad’s one semester, he took 18 hours of classes along with working 40 or more hours a week as a dishwasher to help with expenses. We reassured Dad that he didn’t make it through college not because he wasn’t a good enough student, but because he was far from home in a big city and his schedule was way too full.

Richard then served one year on active duty in the Navy in San Diego, followed by six years in the reserves.

Richard began working on computers for Sperry Rand in 1953. He met Tillie, who was working as an Executive Secretary at a company that used Sperry Rand computers. Richard and Tillie married on December 1st, 1956, at the Cathedral in St. Joseph MO. They were quite a pair. Richard, an Irishman, and Tillie, a Mexican. Not a common pairing in 1956, but they loved each other and adjusted. Mom learned to cook roast beef and potatoes, and Dad learned, eventually, to digest and like Mexican food.

Mom and Dad moved to Wichita in 1957 because of Dad’s job. In the summer of ’65, they bought a house on South Elizabeth, where they would live for the next 55 years.

Mom and Dad were very devoted to each other, even though they didn’t always see eye-to-eye. They would occasionally bicker, usually because Dad wasn’t doing things the way Mom wanted them done. Once, Mom told Dad, “You wouldn’t last three days without me!” Dad thought about it, and replied, “Yeah, but what a wonderful three days it would be!” Mom laughed harder than anyone.

I can picture Mom and Dad together again, walking hand in hand, as she instructs him on how things work in heaven.

Dad had many talents, with the greatest being a beloved father and grandfather. Dad truly loved being a Dad and loved his family unconditionally. He would tell anyone who would listen how proud he was of his kids and grandkids.

Some of our memories of Dad’s love for us are . . . drilling a hole in a baseball or softball and running a rope through it, so he could swing it ‘round and ‘round to help us with batting practice . . . his driving fast over the hills near his hometown in Missouri to make our tummies tickle . . . teaching us how to drive in the South High parking lot . . . taking each of us along with him on a service call . . . spending our summer vacations together going to baseball tournaments . . . working on cars, appliances, in the yard, and making repairs or improvements to the house.

Dad devoted his life to his faith and his family. He was active at St. Anne for decades, and he and Mom sacrificed to put all four children through Catholic grade school and high school.

Dad taught his sons how to become men, taught his daughters how a man should behave, and showed us all how to be responsible adults.

Dad encouraged us to remain active and faithful in the Church, supporting us during difficult times and gently chiding us when we drifted. It is a tribute to Mom and Dad’s parenting ability that all four of their children remain active in the Catholic Church, and together we have seven college degrees. Dad’s continued emphasis on faith and education led us to choose the St. Katharine Drexel Fund for his memorial, as it helps children in need get a Catholic education.

Dad remained very athletic throughout his life. He was a good enough golfer to have had a hole-in-one and he “shot his age” a few times. Dad was also an excellent pool player. He was well known for his pool playing in Edina and successfully competed in pool leagues around Wichita for many years. He even won an open tournament at Century II when he was 75 years old. Throughout, his common sense and fidelity prevailed. I once asked him why he never played for more than a beer. He said, “Two reasons. The first is, I have family obligations, and the second is, there is always someone better out there. Even if you win almost all the time, you can lose it all in one match.”
It’s sad when a loved one dies, but Richard wants us to celebrate his life. He often said he had a wonderful life. He lived to be 93, longer than anyone in his family’s history. He was a perpetual optimist, even during tough times. When presented with bad news, his standard reply was, “We can handle it.” He told us after Mom died that he was ready for God to call him home, but in that year or so after Mom’s passing, Dad still smiled a lot and made many other people smile as well. We rejoice for his soul, and his spirit will live on in each of us.

I want to thank my siblings. We worked well together to protect M&Ds best interests. It is a tribute to them we have done so in a loving and cooperative way.

I am especially grateful for their support following Dad’s passing. Sara and I were in the midst a long-planned trip to Australia and New Zealand when Dad passed. Dad was doing reasonably well when we left, and while it’s no surprise when a 93-year-old passes away, Dad’s health declined more rapidly than we expected.

Upon hearing the news, I began making plans for us to return immediately, and I want to thank Sara for soothing my nerves and tempering my expectations during that time. Danny, Tina, and Lisa convincingly made the case that Dad wants us to live life to its fullest and graciously made the arrangements to have this service after our scheduled return date. This is a wonderful example of Dad’s ongoing influence in our lives, for which I will be forever grateful.

Thank you again for being here with us. The funeral Mass will be held shortly after the conclusion of this service, followed by internment at Resurrection Cemetery and then by lunch in the parish hall, here at St. Anne. We welcome you to join us for these events.

Harry Simpson says:

March 3, 2024 at 12:00 am

Fair winds and following seas sailor. “Boatswain… Standby to pipe the side… Shipmate’s going Ashore…” Thank you Richard for your service to this nation. U.S. Navy, and U.S. Naval Reserves.

Mike Morrow says:

March 6, 2024 at 12:00 am

Dick was my Uncle and we shared a Mar 23rd birthday. The day I was born my Dad(Dick’s older brother) was in Chicago for some sort of training. So Dick ended up driving my Mom the 25 miles to the hospital. On his way along the rural road he passed a friend of his and the guy thought Dick wanted to race so fun ensued.

Dick’s Mother (Ada) and her sister Ethyl owned a moderately.sized restaurant. The family lived above the restaurant about a half block off the square.

Before school Dick worked behind the long lunch counter. During lunch he came from school and either worked behind the counter or bussed tables. This only stopped when he got older and got involved in sports.

In recent years he told me that sometimes he would bring buddies back to the restaurant late at night for burgers or tenderloins and fries. Ethyl would often get up and cook. He proudly told me he was Ethyl’s favorite of the three brothers.

Once when visiting Dick in Wichita my son noticed his pool trophy in the garage. When we asked he recounted winning the tournament. He also told us one of his kids( I won’t say which one) congratulated him for winning the Senior division. This had happened some times ago but he was clearly still slightly irritated that his kid thought it was only the Senior division.

He was always kind to me,my brother and to my Mom. I will miss him more than I can convey.The thing I liked best about my birthday was a call to or from Dick.

Patrick W. Morrow says:

March 9, 2024 at 12:00 am

I remember when Uncle Dick corrected me when adults were having drinks at our house. I was a little boy, maybe 5 years old. One man was filling a shot glass that had a picture of a donkey on it kicking up its back legs. He asked me to read the word on it. I said, “Jackass!”

Dick was passing by and told me that was not a word I should say. I was embarrassed and from then on thought twice about what people told me to do. An important lesson. I knew him as a kind, polite man that I wish I had seen more often.

Tony Morrow says:

March 10, 2024 at 12:00 am

Richard’s eulogy . . .

On behalf of the Morrow family, thank you for being here to honor Richard Morrow. We also feel the presence of the many friends and family members that Dad outlived.

We thank the various caregivers he had, including the Phoenix hospice staff and nurse’s aides, and everyone at the Reflection Ridge retirement community. A special thank you to Jessica Ahmed, Dad’s private caregiver. We thank Fr. David, Fr. Ty, and the parishioners of St. Anne for all they do.

Richard was preceded in death by Tillie, his wife of 66 years, his parents, and older brothers Bill and Jack. Richard and Tillie are survived by their four children, Tony, Danny, Tina, and Lisa, and their families, and also by four nephews and a niece. Dad was particularly close to his nephew, Mike Morrow, and we are thankful Mike and his wife, Laura, are here from Columbia MO.

Richard Joseph (Dick) Morrow was born on March 23rd, 1930, in Edina, MO, a small town of around 1,500 in northeast Missouri. Richard was the third of three children born to Onie and Ada (Dolan) Morrow and grew up in Edina, graduating from St. Joseph Catholic High School in 1948.

Richard was very athletic, even as a child. When he was in 8th grade, the high school’s fast-pitch softball team was expected to be very good. It was determined the team would be even better if Dad played 3rd base for them, so the principal of the high school, a sister, arranged with the proper authorities for Dad to play on the high school fast-pitch team as an 8th grader, and “redshirting” during his 9th grade year.

Dad is the all-time leading scorer for the basketball team at St. Joseph High School in Edina, and will be forever, as the school closed a few years after he graduated. Whenever our family visited Edina, several of the townspeople would tell us stories about watching Dad play high school basketball.

Dad had many stories from his basketball days, and here are two of his favorites. Dad was near-sighted and didn’t wear his glasses when playing, so he sometimes asked Jack, his older brother and teammate, for the score. No matter the actual score, Jack’s answer was some form of, “We’re behind, so you need to pick it up.” The other is during a road game, the opposition team was called for multiple technical fouls, and the home crowd filled the gym with boos and jeers. Despite the crowd noise, Dad went to the free-throw line and made shot after shot. The referee told him quietly when handing Dad the ball, “It would make it easier on me if you would miss one.”

Dad was a little self-conscious about his education, but boasted he was the only one in our family to graduate in the top ten of their high school class. There were nine students in Dad’s graduating class.

As children, we knew that Dad followed his brother, Jack, to Marquette University in Milwaukee for one semester before leaving. It wasn’t until we were adults that we learned in Dad’s one semester, he took 18 hours of classes along with working 40 or more hours a week as a dishwasher to help with expenses. We reassured Dad that he didn’t make it through college not because he wasn’t a good enough student, but because he was far from home in a big city and his schedule was way too full.

Richard then served one year on active duty in the Navy in San Diego, followed by six years in the reserves.

Richard began working on computers for Sperry Rand in 1953. He met Tillie, who was working as an Executive Secretary at a company that used Sperry Rand computers. Richard and Tillie married on December 1st, 1956, at the Cathedral in St. Joseph MO. They were quite a pair. Richard, an Irishman, and Tillie, a Mexican. Not a common pairing in 1956, but they loved each other and adjusted. Mom learned to cook roast beef and potatoes, and Dad learned, eventually, to digest and like Mexican food.

Mom and Dad moved to Wichita in 1957 because of Dad’s job. In the summer of ’65, they bought a house on South Elizabeth, where they would live for the next 55 years.

Mom and Dad were very devoted to each other, even though they didn’t always see eye-to-eye. They would occasionally bicker, usually because Dad wasn’t doing things the way Mom wanted them done. Once, Mom told Dad, “You wouldn’t last three days without me!” Dad thought about it, and replied, “Yeah, but what a wonderful three days it would be!” Mom laughed harder than anyone.

I can picture Mom and Dad together again, walking hand in hand, as she instructs him on how things work in heaven.

Dad had many talents, with the greatest being a beloved father and grandfather. Dad truly loved being a Dad and loved his family unconditionally. He would tell anyone who would listen how proud he was of his kids and grandkids.

Some of our memories of Dad’s love for us are . . . drilling a hole in a baseball or softball and running a rope through it, so he could swing it ‘round and ‘round to help us with batting practice . . . his driving fast over the hills near his hometown in Missouri to make our tummies tickle . . . teaching us how to drive in the South High parking lot . . . taking each of us along with him on a service call . . . spending our summer vacations together going to baseball tournaments . . . working on cars, appliances, in the yard, and making repairs or improvements to the house.

Dad devoted his life to his faith and his family. He was active at St. Anne for decades, and he and Mom sacrificed to put all four children through Catholic grade school and high school.

Dad taught his sons how to become men, taught his daughters how a man should behave, and showed us all how to be responsible adults.

Dad encouraged us to remain active and faithful in the Church, supporting us during difficult times and gently chiding us when we drifted. It is a tribute to Mom and Dad’s parenting ability that all four of their children remain active in the Catholic Church, and together we have seven college degrees. Dad’s continued emphasis on faith and education led us to choose the St. Katharine Drexel Fund for his memorial, as it helps children in need get a Catholic education.

Dad remained very athletic throughout his life. He was a good enough golfer to have had a hole-in-one and he “shot his age” a few times. Dad was also an excellent pool player. He was well known for his pool playing in Edina and successfully competed in pool leagues around Wichita for many years. He even won an open tournament at Century II when he was 75 years old. Throughout, his common sense and fidelity prevailed. I once asked him why he never played for more than a beer. He said, “Two reasons. The first is, I have family obligations, and the second is, there is always someone better out there. Even if you win almost all the time, you can lose it all in one match.”
It’s sad when a loved one dies, but Richard wants us to celebrate his life. He often said he had a wonderful life. He lived to be 93, longer than anyone in his family’s history. He was a perpetual optimist, even during tough times. When presented with bad news, his standard reply was, “We can handle it.” He told us after Mom died that he was ready for God to call him home, but in that year or so after Mom’s passing, Dad still smiled a lot and made many other people smile as well. We rejoice for his soul, and his spirit will live on in each of us.

I want to thank my siblings. We worked well together to protect M&Ds best interests. It is a tribute to them we have done so in a loving and cooperative way.

I am especially grateful for their support following Dad’s passing. Sara and I were in the midst a long-planned trip to Australia and New Zealand when Dad passed. Dad was doing reasonably well when we left, and while it’s no surprise when a 93-year-old passes away, Dad’s health declined more rapidly than we expected.

Upon hearing the news, I began making plans for us to return immediately, and I want to thank Sara for soothing my nerves and tempering my expectations during that time. Danny, Tina, and Lisa convincingly made the case that Dad wants us to live life to its fullest and graciously made the arrangements to have this service after our scheduled return date. This is a wonderful example of Dad’s ongoing influence in our lives, for which I will be forever grateful.

Thank you again for being here with us. The funeral Mass will be held shortly after the conclusion of this service, followed by internment at Resurrection Cemetery and then by lunch in the parish hall, here at St. Anne. We welcome you to join us for these events.