Obituary of David William Morris
To view the livestream of the memorial service, please click here.
We celebrate the long and full life of The Reverend Canon David William Morris who passed away September 3rd at his retirement home in Waterloo, Ontario at the age of 93. David was born in Toronto with his womb-mate Gwen, then moved to Hamilton with elder sister Mary and parents Bill and Muriel. He attended McMaster University, then Trinity College, U of T, for his Bachelor of Divinity.
David loved life; he was especially fond of a good joke, hamburgers, conversations, people and adventures. He often said that he married Enid, who he met while travelling in England, “because he knew he’d have an adventurous life with her”. He began his ministry in Niagara Falls where Michael was born. They then moved to Yukon and David ministered small parishes around Mayo where Julia was born. After five years in the north, they flew south to Eleuthera (St Patrick’s, St Agnes & St Margaret’s) in the Bahamas. Hurricane Betsy swept through before they had fully unpacked and they had to temporarily relocate from the rectory. Undeterred, they remained in Eleuthera for three years where Jonathan was born before island-hopping over to Nassau (Christ Church Cathedral) for seven more years. London, Ontario was David’s next calling for five years (Christ Church) where great new friends were made (Woellers, Blacks, Burds) and family reconnected (Ames, Watermans, Mackenzies). David dedicated the rest of his ministry (18 years) in Waterloo at All Saints’. In its former building, the Anglicans and Presbyterians shared a church building where David focused on what he did best: connecting community. With his gift of listening, paired with his curiosity, he was able to bridge any fundamental differences of opinion.
David had a good run in his retirement: sailing and campfires at his beloved Toad Lake cottage; escaping winters in Eleuthera; going to the library in Waterloo; watching tennis matches on TV and travelling. He had the loudest barrel laugh and loved to belt out songs. He was interested in people and their life stories and he had a generous knack for making people feel good about themselves.
The family would like to thank the wonderful caregivers at University Gates and the Palliative Care team for their loving compassion and care.
David is lovingly remembered by Enid, his wife of 66 years; Michael (Susanne, Rebekka), Julia (Kevin, Gillian), Jonathan (Kareem); grandchildren Jason, Sine, Patrick, Graham, Eric, Liva, Lukaya, Zephyr, Phoenix and great-grandchildren Stellan, Dagney, Georg, Alexander; Gwen, Mary, Madelaine and all his nieces and nephews.
We will celebrate David’s life at All Saints’ Anglican Church, 400 Northfield Dr., Waterloo, on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024, 11:00 a.m. for a service followed by a reception. A Facebook livestream will be available.
Donations in David’s name can be made to All Saints’ Anglican Waterloo, St. Andrew’s Memorial Anglican Kitchener or a charity of your choice and can be arranged through the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo, www.erbgood.com.
Memorial Service
