Phyllis Morton

Phyllis Jean (Burt) Morton of Perrysburg passed away peacefully February 20, 2019 at Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Phyllis was born May 24, 1927 in Newton, Massachusetts to Ashley D. and Frances J. (Baxter) Burt. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in 1949 and a Masters of Education degree from Seton Hall University in 1972. Phyllis married George William Morton, Jr. on Sept 2, 1950 in Newton, Massachusetts and he preceded her in death on February 18, 1969. Phyllis was an active member of Zoar Lutheran Church in Perrysburg. Zoar was the originating sponsor that created Abundant Life of Perrysburg where Phyllis was the manager for 30 years until she retired at the age of 80. Phyllis was the original manager of Abundant Life of Perrysburg, and later developed Abundant Life II, an early congregate-style living for which she received a national award from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Zoar was also where Phyllis lived out her faith often reading Scriptures for worship, participating in Bible studies, chairing the outreach committee that organized the monthly preparation and serving of meals at a homeless shelter in Toledo, and organizing a liturgical dance/movement group for worship services. Phyllis was the oldest member of Zoar Lutheran Church to travel to Mexico in 2006 to build a home for a family through Habitat for Humanity. Phyllis later became active with a Sunday School class at Perrysburg First United Methodist Church, and worshipped with that community for a few years. Phyllis’ commitment to children was not only evidenced in raising her own six children but also by serving on the review board of Lucas County Juvenile Court for 20 years as a surrogate parent. When she retired, Phyllis was then able to complete the intensive training needed to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) where she remained active until a few months before she died. Phyllis also was an advocate for seniors as a Certified Ombudsman for ABLEs Nursing Home Advocacy Project, Read for Literacy Program with children in the Rossford Head Start Program; and Perrysburg Representative to the TARTA Board. After retiring, Phyllis remained active in our communities as a volunteer right up until her death: planning and hosting Christians Seniors Interacting (CSI); founding member of the Perrysburg Area Historic Museum where she was also a docent; Historic Landmarks Commission; and usher with the Toledo Peristyle. Phyllis’ contributions to Perrysburg, Toledo, and our country were well-recognized through a series of awards:  Nov 9, 2007 City of Perrysburg Mayoral Proclamation declaring Phyllis Morton Appreciation Day  2008 Entered into the Book of Golden Deeds of the National Exchange Club  Sept 2012 Mayoral Proclamation as Distinguished Citizen Of Perrysburg Award  2012 Virginia Secor Stranahan Citizen of the Year Award by the League of Women Voters  2013 Toledo-Area Jefferson Award Winner/Recipient  Nov 2013 for The CASA Power-of-One Award by the Lucas County Court Juvenile Court  April 2015 for the Access to Justice, Community Advocacy Award  May 2018 Bentley Historic Preservation Award from the Historic Perrysburg, Inc. Phyllis also was a world-traveler, committing herself to traveling to all seven continents, with her final trip to New Zealand and Australia with her daughter Karen and granddaughter Ashley. She is survived by her children, George Wm. Morton, III (Karen Teisher); Patricia Morton; Steve (Candy) Morton; Karen McCoy; David (Kathy) Morton; and Rev. Chris Morton (Julie Jones); fourteen grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and niece, Jennifer Teschner (Joe Tafelski). Along with her husband, George, Phyllis was preceded in death by her siblings, Patricia Teschner and Ashley Burt. Phyllis’ life will be celebrated on March 1, 2019 at Witzler-Shank Funeral Home, 222 East South Boundary, Perrysburg: 10:00 am visitation and 11:00 am service. Phyllis will be buried with her husband in Cranford NJ on Monday afternoon, March 4th. Memorial Contributions can be made in Phyllis’ name to the Perrysburg Area Historic Museum.