Roy Eugene “Gene” Morris, 70, a lifelong Baker City resident, died Dec. 15, 2007, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
His memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Jan. 5 at the First Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. Pastor Lennie Spooner will officiate. There will be a potluck dinner in the fellowship hall after the services.
Gene was born on April 16, 1937, at Baker City to Mack and Leta Morris. He loved hunting, fishing and just being in the mountains as a kid; he carried that love over into adulthood. His father, Mack, was a conductor on the old Sumpter Railroad.
Being an outdoor person just came naturally to Gene. His lifelong friends were David Hale and Babe and Eldon Deardorff. There is a story about Gene riding his motorcycle down the halls of Baker High, but that’s a close family secret, according to family members. Another one of Gene’s endeavors was learning, or trying to learn, to play the guitar with his good friend and cousin, Bert Medlin.
They would get together and “jam,” the family said, adding that people would remember that it was a sound that was only Gene’s and Bert’s.
Gene worked in the wood industry and logging for many years. He loved being around people and never met a stranger. Gene will be greatly missed by all who knew him, his family said.
Gene married Edith E. Curtis on April 16, 1976. They made their home in Baker City for most of their married life.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Mack and Leta Morris; and his friend, David Hale.
Survivors include his wife, Edith of Baker City; daughters, Balinda Dixon, and her husband, Brant, of Banks and Brenda Morris of Baker City; sons, James Morris of Woodburn, and Jason Curtis and his wife, Brittany, of Silverton; grandchildren, Terry Dixon, Dalton, Khaitlyn, Braden and Lexy Curtis; sister, Clara Kempton, and her husband, Darwin, of Hubbard; his cousins, Bert and Christine Medlin and family of Baker City; and all the kids who knew him as “Pops.”
Memorial contributions may be made to the family to help with services through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, December 28, 2007
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor