James Elmer Morris, Jr. (2010)

MORRIS, BURMEISTER, CULBERTSON, MORRISON, YATES, LOCKHART, THOMAS, STRAWN, BENEDICT, GATHRIGHT, ROSENDAHL

Posted By: Shirley Keating (email)
Date: 2/25/2010 at 20:26:52

Winterset Madisonian, Winterset, Iowa
February 24, 2010

JIM MORRIS, OSCEOLA

James Elmer Morris Jr., 92, died Feb. 16, 2010, at Southern Hills Specialty Care in Osceola.

Funeral services were held Friday, Feb. 19, at Kale Funeral Home in Osceola with Pastor Jerry Kramer officiating. Burial was at New Virginia Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be directed to the New Virginia Fire & Rescue or the New Virginia Lions Club.

Jim Morris was born June 29, 1917, on the family farm in rural Indianola to James Elmer and Lucille Charlotta (Burmeister) Morris Sr. He attended country school and graduated from Indianola High School in 1934. He was united in marriage to Versa Culbertson on July 28, 1940. Jim farmed with his father near Indianola and Liberty Center. He began trucking in 1934, purchased his first new truck in 1947 and began hauling livestock, grain, and coal. He bought and hauled livestock for BH Brockway for 34 years. Jim and Versa moved to the New Virginia area in 1960 and into town in 1967. Jim was a member of the First Christian Church in Osceola and the New Virginia Lions Club. He was an honorary I-35 FFA member and had been named “Father of the Year” at the New Virginia United Methodist Church.

He was preceded in death by four sisters — Regina Morrison, Betty Yates, Margaret Lockhart, and Trudy Thomas; two brothers — George Walter Morris and Dick Morris; infant sons at birth; and a grandson, Joey Morris.

He is survived by his wife, Versa, of Osceola; three sons, Joel Morris of Bloomingburg, Ohio, and Monty Morris and Merlin Morris, both of New Virginia; two daughters, Carmen Strawn of Broomfield, Colo., and Chris Benedict of St. Charles; two sisters, Bea Gathright of California and Shirley Rosendahl of Des Moines; and 14 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.