Phyllis Joan Morris, 80

Phyllis Morris, 80, of Hope, Idaho, passed away peacefully while surrounded by loved ones. She went to be with the Lord on March 26, 2016, at her family home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Born Feb. 5, 1936, in Guernsey, Wyo., she is preceded in death by her parents, Adrian L., and Hazel G. Morris of South Gate, Calif., and her brother Donald C. Morris of West Yellowstone, Mont.

Phyllis graduated from South Gate High School, and Compton Jr. College, where she was a on the drill team and was a cheerleader for the football team that went on to win the Jr. Rose Bowl game in 1955. She then earned a bachelor of arts degree and general elementary teaching credential from Long Beach State University.

She married her college sweetheart, Jerry Morris, on March 21, 1959, after waiting 18 months for him while he served in the U.S. Army in Korea. With the same last name, they had sat next to each other in a class or two. She and Jerry just celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary together.

Early married life was often tiring having four children, and moving six times in 10 years. During this busy chapter in her life, she taught second grade at Downey Elementary and then Charter Oak School in Covina, Calif. Slowing the pace a bit thereafter, Phyllis ended up in Escondido, Calif., where she lived for 27 years in the beautiful neighborhood of Quiet Hills. In Escondido, Phyllis stopped teaching and was a focused and loving homemaker. She and Jerry discovered tennis in Escondido, where they played competitively and met many, many lifelong friends. She and Jerry were also quite an entrepreneurial team together over the years, having owned and operated a car wash, a mobile home park, and various farming entities, all while developing land and ultimately overseeing and completing hundreds of commercial and residential real estate transactions. Phyllis essentially “held the fort down” and was a positive and stabilizing “rock” for her entire family throughout her lifetime.

In 1978, Phyllis and her husband Jerry fulfilled a big dream and bought what would become Sandpoint Ranch in Elmira, Idaho, where they started a Christmas tree farm that continues to support the local economy to this day.

After 1978, they fell in love with, and lived in and around the Sandpoint area for years. In 1992, Phyllis and Jerry built their permanent home on Lake Pend Oreille in Hope, Idaho, where she called it, “her favorite place in the world.” Phyllis loved sitting on the deck of her home looking at the ever-changing lake view at sunset, maybe dancing to the music and enjoying a glass of wine or two.

Phyllis also got a big kick out of marching in the Sandpoint Lions' Fourth of July parade with the Community Assistance League ladies and was a member of CAL since the early 1980s. In addition, she was proud to have hosted the Memorial Center Bodacious BBQ in Hope, at her home three years in a row.

Phyllis enjoyed sailing, skiing, boating on Lake Pend Oreille, fly fishing, RVing, taking long walks, photography, and was a big fan of most sports.

Phyllis loved the Lord, her family, friends, travel, education, community and helping others with a “hand up” whenever possible. She was an amazing, generous, loving, forgiving and equitable wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Her smile was contagious and her laugh was infectious. She was a very strong woman that lived a good, honest and courageous life until her last breath. She will be missed dearly by many.

Survivors include her husband, Jerry Morris of Hope; four children, Kelli (Phil Hosko) Morris of Rancho Bernardo, Calif., Donald (Lori) Morris of Sandpoint, Juli (John) Erickson of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Jerry (Lisa) Morris of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; and nine grandchildren, Allison, Jerod, Taylor, Sydney, Hannah, Kate, Griffin, Camden, and Adrie.

A celebration of life ceremony will be held at The Crosby Club on Friday, April 22, at 2 p.m. at 17102 Bing Crosby Blvd., San Diego, CA 92127.

For more details on Phyllis or to RSVP to her celebration, you can visit this website: https://phyllismorrisblog.wordpress.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Panhandle Alliance for Education, P.O. Box 1675, Sandpoint, ID, 83864 or Memorial Community Center, 415 Wellington Place, PO Box 405, Hope, ID, 83836.