Zach Morris' Obituary
Zachary Frank Morris was born on August 22, 1997. He is the beloved son of Frank and Joan Morris, best friend and big brother to Nicole, and friend and brother-in-law to Colby Bidwell. He died 25 short years later on November 20, 2022, while hiking with friends on Mt Rainier. To really understand what an amazing gift Zach is to family and friends, one has to look back many years to a time before he was born.
Frank and Joan were married in 1978 and desired to have a big family. But as the years went by, no child arrived, and the heartache grew deeper. Fertility testing showed that they would never conceive. Against the odds they tried surgery, but as expected, surgery failed. So, they continued to pray and to wait. Their families prayed with them, alongside friends and church family; even people who knew people who knew the couple prayed. And after many years of persistent prayer, God graciously answered those prayers, and shortly after Frank and Joan’s 19th wedding anniversary, Zachary was born. The name Zachary was chosen because it means “Jehovah has remembered.” And because of the many years of waiting and the many people who had joined in praying, he, and later his sister, became a special gift to many—God’s amazing, spectacular answer to prayer. Our gratitude will forever overflow for the gift that so many of you gave us in your prayers and love for him.
Zach graduated from Puyallup High School in 2016. Some of the friends he made in kindergarten went all the way through high school with him. He loved spending time with friends playing card games, video games and riding motorcycles. His very best friend of all though, came into his life in 2002. That’s when his sister, Nicole, was born and from the very beginning, they were tight. Well, ok, there was that one morning about a week after she came home that was a little touch and go. Zach woke up and came downstairs looking for Mom. He saw his brand-new baby sister sitting in HIS place in his mom’s lap. He looked at her, then up at his mom and said, “I’m all done with her. Let’s take her back now.” But, moving forward, the two of them were each other’s protector, confidant, and all-around best friend. In fact, one of Joan’s most favorite things in the world was listening to the two of them laughing together.
Zach also really loved his family. He has lots of aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides of the family and he loved them all. And as if he didn’t have enough, he happily adopted more. Frank and Joan’s best friends, Ken and Sandy Cupp became another set of grandparents to him that he loved and adored. But there was one extended family member in particular that definitely owned a special place in his heart—his Grandma Z. It was her unconditional love, her goofy nature, her great cooking, and the way she continuously swooned over his dimples that set her firmly and forever in his heart. After her husband, Lloyd, died in 2017, she spent two days a week at our home until her own passing in 2020. And every day when it was time for her to go home, Zach would very gently wrap his big arms around her and say, “I love you, Grandma.”
Holiday traditions with family were always a huge highlight that Zach looked forward to. A person may well think that because of his life-threatening food allergies he might not be one to
love food. But no, Zach loved good food. And he loved the people who cooked for him. His family made sure that the food served whenever they got together was safe for him, or they made a special dish just for him. He loved Thanksgiving with the potatoes, stuffing and gravy; Christmas with lute fisk and lefsa; Easter with ham and potatoes, and of course, Super Bowl Sunday when Auntie Karen went over-board trying out new and fantastic recipes that were all allergen-free and often bacon-wrapped. Food was definitely a language of love for him. His mom could always count on getting a great big grin from him whenever he walked into the house and could smell one of his favorite meals cooking. And Dad always got high praise when he cooked him one of his famous big breakfasts.
Zach attended classes at Pierce College and was looking forward to graduating in June 2023. He started working for Home Depot in February 2020 and while every job has it’s ups and downs, he thoroughly enjoyed his work there. We used to kid him that he was a walking, talking commercial ad for Home Depot. For instance, if someone happened to mention in conversation that they needed something for their home, he was more than happy to tell them all about the best place to go get it! His job there and the opportunities that were given to him for advancement, gave him a strong new confidence. And we watched with the greatest pleasure as he developed new leadership skills and direction. But the best thing by far about his work there, was the wonderful family he found in his co-workers. Many of you are here with us today, and we want you to know how much we love you for the way you loved him.
There are no words to convey the heartbreak we feel over losing Zach so early in his life. His life was a beautiful gift to us, and we will miss him every day of our lives. But this one thing we know for sure, Zach’s spirit is very much alive. He is safe in the presence of our savior, Jesus, and happier than any of us can even imagine.
What’s your fondest memory of Zach?
What’s a lesson you learned from Zach?
Share a story where Zach's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Zach you’ll never forget.
How did Zach make you smile?
