Richard "Curly" Morris

“Curly” Richard Lee Morris was born September 6, 1933 to Herbert and Agnes (Toel) Morris in Lawrence Co., MO while the family was visiting his ailing grandmother. The family traveled back to Westfield, IA where they made their home when he was only three days old. He was baptized December 28, 1933 in Preston Township, Plymouth Co., IA and was confirmed on January 11, 1959 at the Bethel Lutheran Church in Sutherland, IA. There he was the president of the Young Couples Club. In August of 1967, Curly moved his young family to Alta where they became members of Trinity Lutheran Church on February 23, 1968.

Curly started school at the age of four. He attended a country school in Rural Plymouth Co. As legend has it, he walked uphill to and from school! At the age of eight, he moved with his family to the Royal, IA area where they lived for about five years before relocating to Sutherland, IA. Curly graduated from Sutherland High School in May of 1951 as one of the top students in his class.

On June 6, 1954, Curly was united in marriage to Sandra Leah Peterson at Trinity Lutheran Church in Linn Grove, IA. Together they raised six children, marking the beginning of “Curly’s Crew.” They enjoyed opening their home to children, grandchildren and great grandchildren alike, always keeping an extra seat available at the table for guests.

Growing up and working on a farm with very strict parents, Curly learned to work hard, a trait he has passed on to his children and grandchildren. Curly prided himself on hard work and jobs well done. That evidence can be found throughout Alta and the surrounding community. He worked as a carpenter and started Morris Construction Company. He eventually passed on this business to his son Ronnie after working alongside him for years. He was also a self-taught plumber, electrician, engineer, mason, and carpet layer. No job was too much for Curly to tackle, which is why he took great pleasure in the challenge of remodeling projects.

In addition to farming and construction, he held many other jobs, including working for IA Electric out of Peterson, house moving with Wayne Tharp out of Sutherland, and plumbing and welding with John and Mike Powell of Sutherland. He built the Lutheran church in Sutherland with Pete Krekow of Sutherland and also helped build the Lutheran church in Decorah, IA, while working with C.I. Hershman out of Laurens. As an independent carpenter, he worked with Fuzzy Johanason of Sutherland and Dean Peters of Alta. After “retirement,” he tried his hand at working on an electrical underground crew for North Central Line Service owned by his son-in-law Larry Suter. He was also code enforcer for the City of Alta prior to going to Arkansas to build his “LAST” house. Curly’s final job was mayor of Alta, serving for two years.

Curly was very active and committed to bettering the community in which he lived. He built the Youth Center while living in Sutherland and donated his time and tools to help build the community building and playground in Alta. He was a member of the 1978 Centennial Committee and gave advice to the 2003 Quasquicentennial Committee. He served on the Alta Fire Department for 18 years where he enjoyed being on the water fighting team, winning several competitions. He attended many of the annual fireman’s conventions throughout IA and looked forward to those trips each year. He served on the Planning and Zoning Board for many years but had to give up that position when he became mayor. He coached little league and later Babe Ruth for several years followed by many years of umpiring duties for both baseball and softball. Curly was instrumental in getting girls softball started in Alta.

Hard work characterized his life, but he also found time to enjoy hobbies such as bowling, snowmobiling, deer and pheasant hunting, and fishing, which would lead to trips to many different places in the surrounding states. After high school, Curly played semi-pro football with the Sutherland Sharks. He grew to become very supportive of his sons and their friends while they played sports in high school. He was an avid fan of the Hawkeyes, the Cubs, and anyone playing the Broncos. In the past few years, he followed the Buffalo Bills and became a fan of NASCAR. His garden and lawn (both weed-less) were two of his biggest passions. He always had a garden big enough to feed an army; nothing went to waste. He even helped can the produce he grew.

Curly is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sandra Morris of Alta, IA; children, Desi (Larry) Suter of Alta, IA; Debbie Allen of Hamburg, NY; Rick (Cheryl) Morris of Glidden, IA; Annie (Greg) Anderson of Boerne, TX; Ronald (Beth) Morris of Alta, IA; and Roger (Lois) Morris of Spencer, IA; 13 grandchildren, Monica (Brian) Mattson, Chris (Faye) Allen, Doug (Sherry) Allen, Danielle (Fred) Jackson, Clay (Katie) Morris, Leah (Brandon) Blunk, Amber (Tim) Richter, Ashley Anderson, Aaron Anderson, Katie (Ryley) Layden, Levi (Katie) Morris, Dana Morris, and Tanner Morris; 16 great-grandchildren, Kyler and Kaylee Mattson; Brecken, Adrianne and Brynn Allen; Braeden, Kaelen, Jaeden and Maecen Jackson; Bryli and Beckham Blunk; Gracie and Kase Morris; Sumner and Oliver Richter; and Morris Layden; and numerous family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Agnes Morris; parents-in-law, Emmett and Dorothy Peterson; grandparents, Samuel and Hattie Morris and Ben and Anna Toel; brothers, Robert and James Morris; sisters-in-law, Carol Morris and Sandra Peterson; grandsons, Andrew and Kyle Suter.