Father Michael J. Morris, former military
chaplain, died Oct. 23. He was 54. He was in residence at St. Bernadette Church
in Springfield.
He was born June 24, 1962, in Denver,
Colo., the son of George and Maria Morris. He attended the University of
Alabama Birmingham for undergraduate studies and earned two Master’s Degrees
during his service in the Air Force.
He joined the Air Force in 1987 and
served 12 years as an intelligence officer. He left the Air Force in 1999, to
become a priest. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2005 and served at
Espiritu Santo Church in Safety Harbor, Fla., for three years.
Father Morris rejoined the Air Force as
a chaplain. His first assignment was
Ramstein Air Base, Germany, as the senior Catholic chaplain. He was deployed to
Kyrgyzstan for six months during this assignment.
He later was assigned as an executive
officer to the Chief of Chaplains at the Pentagon. A year into his assignment, in
March 2012, Father Morris was diagnosed with cancer. He spent two years as the
White House Military Office Deputy Chaplain after his work at the Pentagon. He
was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014.
He retired this past June from the Air
Force after more than 20 years.
He is survived by his brother, Harry
Morris, of Rockwall, Texas, as well as two nephews, two great- nephews and a
great-niece. His parents and his sister, Ingrid Morris, preceded him in death.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Oct. 28 at
Sacred Heart Church, 3905 Hickox Rd., Rowell, Texas.
