Family and friends will gather this Saturday (November 18) to celebrate the life of Nancy Morrison. Here’s the remembrance they are sharing with her community:

A long-time resident of West Seattle, Nancy Morrison, passed away on October 30, 2023. She is survived by her daughter Alice Desgranges, grandchildren Emma, Nicolas Desgranges, and Anseland Davis Morrison.

In the 1930s, after living in Oregon and Montana, Nancy moved with her family to Seattle when her father accepted a position as pastor at the West Seattle Baptist Church. She attended Lafayette Elementary School and Madison Junior High School until World War II began. Nancy wrote in her diary, “War was declared, but they only expect it to last about two weeks.” When her predictions didn’t come true, her family moved to Hamilton Air Force Base in California, where her father served as Chaplain while her brother went to fight in Europe.

After the War, Nancy finished high school in Goldendale and then traveled throughout the United States as an intern for the American Baptist Convention. Following her internship, she attended Linfield College in Oregon. When Nancy was 24 years old and teaching in a one-room schoolhouse on the prairie in Montana, her car broke down. She trudged through the snow to call for help and help came in the form of a husband. Jack W. Morrison was sent to give her a ride home, and they married in Havre, MT, in 1955. Nancy and Jack moved back to West Seattle, where they had two children, Mark and Alice.

A sociable community leader, Nancy Morrison was president of the PTA, President of P.E.O, a church leader and Sunday School teacher for 40 years, active in scouting, women’s democratic groups, and a long-term Women’s Health Initiative member. She loved meeting people and was ready to talk to anyone from her porch swing, at the grocery store, or during telephone calls filled with wit and wisdom. Nancy recently said, “I talked early and haven’t stopped talking since.”

Nancy had the privilege of being surrounded by a caring community of friends and neighbors. They exemplify the best a community can be. We are forever thankful for their support and friendship, which allowed Nancy to live her life on her own terms. She will be missed, but we know her faith has led her to a place of peace.

Memories of Nancy will be shared at a celebration of life on November 18, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at The Junction Church, 4157 California Ave SW. For more details, please email aliceamd@gmail.com.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)