James H. Morris

James H. Morris passed away peacefully on April 2, 2017 at Ebeid Hospice Residence. Jim was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 20, 1926 to Harold and Mary Morris. He lived in Toledo most of his life. He attended elementary school at Blessed Sacrament, and graduated from Macomber High School. He became a Boy Scout in 1938 and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1941. He loved going to Camp Miakonda, and worked on the camp staff for most summers from 1939 through 1948. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corp in 1943 and served in the Aviation Cadet training program in the US until the end of World War II in 1945. Jim began his work career in 1949 with the Ruihley + Kuerten Construction Company, working on large apartment complexes, commercial and industrial building projects. He eventually became the vice-president in charge of engineering at the company. Jim married Kathleen Barry in 1949, and they began raising their family of six children. He attended the University of Toledo on the GI Bill, and received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1951. He passed his engineer in training exam in 1951, and became a registered professional engineer in 1956. Jim was a mechanical and electrical engineer with the architectural engineering firm of Beuhrer + Stough, working on hospital, school and church projects from 1959 until 1962, when he began his own consulting engineering practice. After years of self-study, he passed the Ohio architectural exams and became a registered architect in the state of Ohio. During his 44-year practice as an engineer and architect, he served hundreds of clients in designing and improving buildings where people could live, work, learn or worship. One of his most notable accomplishments was his collaboration with a renowned New York city lighting system designer on the renovation of the interior illumination for the Toledo Holy Rosary Cathedral. The finished project received the Illuminating Engineering Society Design Award and an Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award of Merit in 1981. He designed several of the buildings on the campus of Christ the King Catholic Parish, and retrofitted the kitchens of many of the public elementary schools in Toledo, Ohio and Bedford, Michigan. In keeping with his love for the Boy Scouts, he designed chapels for both Camp Miakonda and Camp Pioneer. He served as the local architect for a New York architectural firm that was in charge of several phases of renovations at the Toledo Museum of Art. He later was the in-house architect for the Toledo Museum of Art during the 1980s, and also designed renovations for the Flint Michigan Institute of Arts. It was at the Toledo Museum of Art that Jim met the love of his life, art librarian, Anne O. Reese. Jim and Anne were married in 1985 and enjoyed building their life together at their home in Westmoreland. Jim was an excellent mechanic, handyman and craftsman who loved to build and fix things. Jim’s love for the outdoors led to spending many vacations camping with his family, especially near Interlochen, Michigan. These camping trips continued until he was 86 years old. Jim was a charter member of the committee that established the Boy Scout troop at Christ the King parish. He served as the Scout Master for three years, and led four of his sons and hundreds of young boys in the scouting program. He was active in scouting for 33 years, and was honored with the St. George Award for his long and devoted service on behalf of the Catholic scouting program in Toledo. A devout Catholic, Jim had strong ties to Blessed Sacrament, his boyhood parish, and to Christ the King, the parish where his family attended for many years. He was an active member for over 30 years at The Historic Church of St. Patrick. In recent years Jim enjoyed attending the Corpus Christi University Parish with his family. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Anne, children Jim (Katie), John (Terry), Joe (Peggy), Jeff (Colleen), Jerry (Janet), Mary Beth (Gene) Kutz, and step-daughter Cathy (Tom) Lykins. Also surviving are grandchildren Michael Morris, Meg (Mike) Slomka, Ashley (Brad) Brown, Katlyn Morris, Dan Morris, Ben Morris, Michelle Morris, Mark Morris, Christopher Morris, Van Morris, Dean Morris, Maeve Morris, Will Morris, Audrey Kutz, Amy Kutz, Emily (Aaron) Bailey, Lindsey (Branden) Smith, Courtney (Matt) Kirkland, Evan Kutz, and Harper Lykins, and great-grandchildren Seth, Corinne, and Josiah Bailey and Owen Brown. Friends may visit the family on Friday from 2-9 PM at Walker Funeral Home 5155 Sylvania Ave (west of Corey Rd) with a scripture service at 7:30 PM. Funeral Mass will be held Saturday at 10:00 AM at Corpus Christi University Parish 2599 Dorr St. Toledo, OH 43607. Interment will be private at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to: the Boy Scouts of America, 5600 W. Sylvania Ave, Toledo, OH 43623; The Preservation Society of The Historic Church of Saint Patrick, 130 Avondale Ave, Toledo, OH 43614; to or to a charity of the donor’s choice. Condolences may be shared with the family at walkerfuneralhomes.com. The family would like to thank the ProMedica Hospice staff, and the caregivers at the Ebeid Hospice Residence at Flower Hospital, Toledo Hospital, and the Lakes of Monclova for all of the compassionate care provided to Jim during his time in each facility.