In Memory of Rev. Dr. F. Everett Morris (1937-2025)

We offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Dr. F. Everett “Ev” Morris, who died on June 21, 2025, at the age of 87.

Ev was born on July 31, 1937, in Spokane, WA. He grew up in Spokane with his two older brothers and attended the local Presbyterian church. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Stanford University, CA, earning a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1960. He then worked for General Electric (1960-1961) and Boeing Aircraft (1961-1962) as a system analyst. Ev returned to school at the University of Washington in Seattle, earning a second Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering in 1964, followed by a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1965. From 1965 to 1967, he served in the Peace Corps with his first wife, Beth, teaching engineering at a small university in Peru. Upon returning to the United States, he pursued and earned a PhD in Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University in 1971.

Following his doctorate, Ev worked as a professor of mechanical engineering at Youngstown State University, OH (1971-1979), Gonzaga University, WA (1979-1984), and the University of the Pacific, CA (1984-1987). During his first three years of teaching, he revisited some of the religious questions that had intrigued him since high school. This spiritual curiosity led him to the Unitarian Church in Youngstown, OH, where he began exploring Unitarian Universalism more deeply. Later, inspired by the Rev. Bill Houff at the Unitarian Church of Spokane, WA, he became deeply involved with faith. Realizing he wanted to spend the rest of his life in a special arena where the search for love and meaning was central, he decided to become a UU minister. In 1990, he graduated with a Master of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry.

The Rev. Dr. Morris was ordained on February 23, 1992, by the First Unitarian Society of Salem, OR (now the UU Congregation of Salem), where he served as an interim minister from 1991 to 1992. His interim ministry focused on healing the congregation and preparing them for their next settled ministry. In 1992, he accepted a call from the First UU Church of Berks County, Reading, PA. He served for six years, guiding the congregation from humanism toward a more spiritual and open theology. From 1998 to 2002, he was a consulting minister for the Beacon Unitarian Church, Coquitlam, BC.

The Rev. Dr. Morris contributed widely to the denomination. He served on the board of the Unitarian Church of Stockton, CA (1986-1987), was a treasurer for the Liberal Ministers of the Delaware Valley (LMDV) section of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association (UUMA) within the Joseph Priestley District (JPD), and a member of the Seminarian Support team for seminarians in schools in the JPD area. From 1997 to 1998, he served as a Good Offices person for the UUMA Priestly-Kingsbury section of the JPD.

The Rev. Dr. Morris was an effective parish minister who built community and fostered human connection. He could establish rapport easily with a variety of people and effortlessly found a common ground in the initiation of a relationship.

Outside of his ministry, Ev had a special interest in meditation, mentored by Jack Kornfield, Buddhist teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Centre in California.  He played folk guitar, and enjoyed tennis, skiing, and golf.  An avid runner, he completed marathons for twenty-one years. 

On a quieter side, he found joy in bird watching and crossword puzzles, and writing.  In his retirement, Ev self-published two small books: Life, My Sense of the Holy, a compilation of his poetry and spiritual reflections, andTen Complete Sermons, a practical collection of his sermons intended for small congregations with lay ministry.

Ev is survived by his wife of twenty-five years, Joan; his sons, Dave and TR; his grandchild, K; and Joan’s daughters, Jeneen Bayer (Derrick) and Kira Auger (Dean). 

A memorial service was held on September 12, 2025, at the Beacon Unitarian Church in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Beacon Unitarian Church, Box 414, 407-552 Clarke Rd, Coquitlam, BC V3J 0A3, or to the David Suzuki Foundation.

Notes of condolence may be written here.