March 10, 2012
Morrison, David
David Norman Morrison, a resident of Walpole for 30 years, died Friday, March 9, 2012 at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston after a long illness. He was 63. David was born October 25, 1948 in Brookline, Massachusetts, a son of Malcolm F. and Pauline (Gerrish) Morrison. He graduated from Westwood High School with the Class of 1966 and went on to earn his Bachelors Degree from Belknap College in Center Harbor, New Hampshire. David worked for 25 years in purchasing for ITT Sheritan Corporation at their headquarters in Boston. For the past 10 years he has worked as the Purchasing Manager for the Church of Christ Scientist in Boston. David is survived by his wife, Susan (Burpee) Morrison; his daughter, Sara F. (Morrison) Graves, and her husband Shane, of Washington; his son, Peter B. Morrison, and his wife Elizabeth, of Norwood; his two grandchildren, Jacob Riley Graves and Lilliana Mae Graves; his sister, Priscilla Morrison of Needham; his two brothers, James Morrison of Westwood, and Malcolm D Morrison of Walpole; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. David was the brother of the late John Morrison. Visiting hours will be held Wednesday, March 14th from 4 to 8 PM at the Folsom Funeral Home, 649 High Street, Westwood. Relatives and friends are invited to attend David’s funeral Thursday at 10 AM at the First Baptist Church, 808 High Street, Westwood. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers donations to the Ocean Park Association, 14 Temple Avenue, PO Box 7296, Ocean Park, Maine 04063 would be appreciated.
Comments(21)
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Be comforted by memories of the love and laughter he gave to others, his goodness, and the faith that gave him strength.
With sincere sympathy, Pam and Dave
Dearest Morrison Family,
As you know, David was so dear to us. A major part of our lives. With every tear, there is also a smile or a laugh. He truly brought so much joy to our lives. The memories will be with us forever.
To our dear friends, We smile through our tears as we think of David. He will be in our hearts forever. Memories of times we shared with him will bring us joy. He will be missed but always remembered with love. The Reynolds Family
The Morrison Family,
We are so sorry to hear of David’s passing. You are in our thoughts and prayers. May many wonderful memories help you through this difficult time. We will miss him.
The Morrison Family
We are sorry to hear of Davids passing.
Our prayers go out to you during this time of sorrow.
I remember David as a warm and caring man, who also enjoyed a good laugh.
Dale Smith
David always had a smile that lit up his face, for everyone! He had such a warm quality about him, he was very special!
He was a great friend and classmate.
Are prayers are with all of his family and friends at this most difficult time. He will be missed.
Dan & Kathy DeVasto
There are no words that can express my sadness at this loss. I choose to remember uncle David with a smile on his face, that smile of his that was even in his eyes. He returns from blueberry picking with a coffee can on a string around his neck, the fruits of an early morning trip into the woods in OP. Then again maybe he is just sitting around joking with my dad saying the words I think I heard him say more than any other, “ohhhh Clifforrrd”
It is with a heavy heart that I express my condolences and shared memories.
Love,
Heather
I had the honor of knowing David through his Wife Susan and her entire Family in Ocean Park. To this Day, I think Susan and David had the most wonderful and joyous Wedding I ever attended, and that was 38 years ago. David had a quiet Dignity and Class and Warmth and Strength that I and many others always admired. He was a True Gentleman and he brought Honor and Respect to everything he did, and to everyone he encountered. I send my Love and heartfelt Sympathy to Susan esp. and the Entire extended Family. I sincerely apologize for not being able to attend Services for David. Please know I will be thinking of you all; now and always. With Love and profound Sympathy and Respect. Glen York.
My deepest sympathy to the entire Morrison family. I was deeply saddened by the news of David’s passing. He gave friendship, joy and laughter to countless people. His laughter and smile would light up a room or a conversation. He was a caring, gentle man who loved and enjoyed his family. He will always remain in our hearts.
It is with great sadness that I read the news of David’s passing. Another precious piece of the wonderful whole that was our class of 1966 is now gone. Please know that I am thinking of the entire Morrison family and especially David, who lit up the world with his smile. Although I can’t be with you for the funeral, you will all be in my prayers. With sympathy, Catherine Bowman Perez
Dear Sue,
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you grieve David’s passing. He loomed large in life and his legacy will be cherished by so many. I remember the days of Youth Conference, especially how David and Gordon Umberger would have loud greetings to one another as they walked and ran through the camp grounds.
May you be strengthened by God’s grace.
Burt
To Sue and the Morrison Family,
My deepest sympathies and prayers go out to you. I met David thru work these past 10 years, and have had the privilege to work for him over the past few years. His passing has left an empty place in me when I walk thru the doors here. I will miss his laughter, his quick smirks at something silly or stupid I might have said or done, to his emphasizing his point by unconsciously slapping his hand down on the conference table.
More importantly, I will miss the guidance and direction both professionally as well as personally, that he went out of his way to give me. These true moments of David’s caring and warmth, from his phone calls to me at home, even when he was struggling, to make sure I stayed positive, to the talks we would have about life, and the gentle nudges in directions that I would fear to go in myself without his support, will always be in my memories. In a small way, he was a like a father I never had growing up.
I will truly miss him.
God Bless
Daniel Driscoll
To the Morrison family:
David will be missed by all of us at the Church. His smiling face and quick wit have made many a stressful situation lighter. He was an amazing person and a beautiful soul. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Very sorry to hear of your brothers passing Dan Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
To Sue and Family,
I’m very sorry to hear of David’s passing. You are in my thought and prayers during
this difficult time.
Bless you all
Ann Josie
To Sue and Family,
I am so sorry for your loss. I will never forget David’s gentle spirit and the kindness he showed to all.
John Fraser
David I am sure, like all of us, rued attending funerals.
He wouldn’t want everyone making a fuss about him or getting all upset on his behalf because he wasn’t that sort of person. Of course we are all a bit upset, but we’ll also remember all the great stuff he’s done.
David went out as he would have wanted. Maybe a little sooner than he expected, but definitely as he would have wanted. When I say ‘as he would have wanted’, I mean ‘quickly’. I’m sure he would never have wanted to be a burden on anyone. David was a proud man who was at his best when people were relying on him, he certainly didn’t want to have to rely on others. So he got his wish for a quick exit.
David was a man of beliefs – about faith, country, people, tolerance and truth. David and I come from the same era, have worked all our lives in the same profession, and through proximity at work good friends – we grew up in the days when televisions had vacuum tubes that you pulled out of the back chassis and brought to the corner store to test, and when you fed the furnace nut coal, keeping an eye on the water level in the spy glass to make sure it was between the two lines – and then we had to adapt to the likes of LED’s, LCD’s, iPhones and WiFi.
We learned to have disagreements; and I suspect that some of these disagreements remain. But we were raised to always respect the right of others to differ, never lose sight of our own fallibility, and that we should view ourselves and others with a sense of perspective and humor. After all, in the New Testament, even the Disciples had to be taught to look first to the beam in their own eyes, and only then to the mote in their neighbor’s eyes.
David reinforced those teachings and to be mindful of that counsel. And through his actions reminded everyone to not assume that your conception is invariably correct, and that one’s convictions should not command any greater respect than any other.
A number of people have told stories of how, when they were having any sort of difficulty, David, never publicly, would quietly take them aside and tell them that if they needed anything, just to let him know. Sometimes it would be a quiet word of encouragement, other times an offer to help out in whatever manner he could. But the message was always “I’ll be there”. I am pretty sure he would have loved an epitaph along the lines of Spike Milligan’s, who you may know has the words “I told you I was ill” written on his gravestone, the words “I’ll be there” would be quite fitting for David.
You rarely meet anyone as devoted to their family and friends, nor anyone with more integrity, nor anyone who could be so relied upon as David.
When I heard of David’s death, I like probably many of you was shocked. You see, the thing about shock is not that it upsets some people, but that it gives a momentary sense of liberation as we realize in that instant the social rules that constrict our lives so terribly are not actually very important.
Well, David can’t do that for us anymore. He’s gone.
All we have of him now is our memories and it will be some time before those fade.
So to remember David, just remember the prayer to St Francis of Assisi, that says:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
God be with you David.
We will miss David’s kind spirit and gentle friendship. Love to all the Morrison family
Dear Morrison Family,
I was out of the country and just read the heart-breaking news about David’s passing. My fond memories of a smiling young friend from first Baptist Westwood and Ocean Park will always remain with me. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. With sincere sympathy, Jean Sinko
Susan, Peter, Sarah and extended family.
I was saddened to hear of David’s passing. I was on the beach in Florida when I heard the news…a good place to be to remember David!
I have only warm thoughts and smiles when I think of him…what a great sense of humor and a warm and gentle presence. He will be greatly missed.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
With sympathy, friendship and warm regards, Marcia Noyes
Oh, David we certainly had our adventures when we were six years old and onward til I moved away in ‘63.great memories great friend. Peace.