"This is the day that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it," was the special way that Reverend Ed Morrison began every Sunday morning service and he believed every word of it.

Lt. Colonel Chaplain Edwin Gordon Morrison Jr. was born on December 15th, 1943 in Ft. Worth, Texas to Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Morrison Sr. At 78 years old, our heavenly Father and angels welcomed Ed home the morning of June 20th, 2022.

Ed was survived by his wife, Deanna Morrison, and their five children (Steve DeLay, Jeff DeLay, Ken DeLay, Janet Hansen, and Catherine Jeffers), their 14 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and 1 brother, Kevin Morrison.

Ed loved the exchange of knowledge, ideas, religion, and philosophy. His education was never-ending, a life long learner. He graduated from high school in 1961 from New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio and television Broadcasting from University of Houston in Houston, Texas. After the university, Ed continued his military career in the United States Army for
the next 3 years and was stationed at Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina where he met his wife, Deanna.

After returning from Vietnam, he was stationed at Ft. Gordon in Georgia where he and Deanna attended the United Methodist Church. There he received his calling into the ministry and decided to go to seminary school furthering his education at Emory University receiving a Masters of Divinity.

He began his career in the small farming community of Silver Creek, Nebraska. Later, the family moved to Wahoo, Nebraska where he served 7 years as a pastor at the United Methodist Church. While there, he also used his broadcasting degree and had a segment as a journalist for the program, "Religion in the News."

Ed missed his time in the military and decided to re-enlist, but this time joined the United States Air Force because he said, "The Air Force had it better in the war." Ed became the protestant chaplain and was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico.

After serving active duty for a while, Ed switched to the Air National Guard in Lincoln, Nebraska and then at Rosecrans Air Guard Base in St. Joseph, Missouri. There he joined the Missouri Methodist Conference and pastored churches in Albany, Fairfax, Monroe City, Sugar Creek, and Grain Valley all while continuing to be the chaplain at the guard base in St. Joe. Ed retired from his last church in Falls City, Nebraska and from the
Air National Guard in 2005.

Shortly after, Ed was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia; all of which were symptoms from being exposed to the chemical agent orange while serving in the Vietnam War. After learning about Parkinson's and all its details, keeping his spirits up, Ed said, "Well, I guess in retirement I'll be ready to shake, rattle, and roll!"

Having served so long in the military, Ed was a habitual man, consistent, and disciplined. He awoke at 4:30 every morning, and jogged 4 miles everyday taking his dogs with him. For breakfast, he had 7-grain toast with peanut butter and Schmuckers blackberry jam, oatmeal because it ate your cholesterol although he put butter and brown sugar in it and then would end breakfast with half of a grapefruit because that would eat your fat. For lunch, he would have tuna fish because the Omega-3's were good for your heart, with raw broccoli because that was the "Super" vegetable although he dipped it in Ranch dressing. For a snack he would eat an apple for its fiber and for supper he would eat whatever Deanna fixed, but would also have bread and butter and a side salad. He had 2 naps a day, one after lunch and one about 8:00 at night. Then he
would wake up and have a donut or a piece of homemade pecan pie, his favorite, before going to bed just to wake up and do it all over again.

Ed loved books, his dogs, the Westminster Dog Show, feeding the birds in the winter, every version of the Holy Bible and he read them all, Track and field, running shoes, photography, fountain pens, day planners, cars, and Consumer Reports Magazine, Jim Henson's Muppets--Ralph the dog was his favorite because he could always get a rise out of Miss Piggy, Charles Schulz's Peanuts his favorite character was Snoopy.

His talents were reading the newspaper and watching the 5:00 news at the same time. He loved words and was a talented writer influential and scholarly from his sermons to his children's message.

Of all the great words in our English language, the most honorable words to describe Ed's legacy would be generous, gentle, and compassionate. The scripture from the Bible Ed used many times to preach different lessons would be the Woman at the Well. He loved how kind and compassionate Jesus was towards the woman and Ed lived by this same principle.

Towards the end of Ed's Sunday morning services, he would serve communion and before he broke bread before the Lord he would turn to the congregation and say,
"Everyone is welcome to the Lord's table," and he meant it never turning anyone away. We love you, Dad, and we are so proud of you.

Funeral service will be held 10 A.M., Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at Davis Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow at Leavenworth National Cemetery with Military Honors.