Martha Jane (Pettijohn) Morrise Obituary (1928 - 2019)

MARTHA JANE PETTIJOHN MORRISE AUG 26, 1928- JULY 14, 2019 Our beloved mother and wife, Martha Jane Pettijohn Morrise passed from this life on July 14th, 2019. She was born in Nampa, ldaho, the fifth of seven children of Ross J. and Hilda Moore Pettijohn. She married Jesard Morrise of West Hollywood, California on Feb. 14, 1953 and is survived by Jes and their six children: Mark and Florence Fairbanks Morrise, Marshall and Susan Hall Morrise, Matthew and Judy Arrington Morrise, Geoffrey and Vicky Felt Morrise, Michelle and Stan Bassett, Scott and Glenda Trexler Morrise; also, sisters Dorothy Johnson of Pleasant Grove, Utah, Ann Tomlinson of Nampa, ldaho and brother Victor Pettijohn of North Bend, Oregon. Martha was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all her life. She was a teacher of the gospel in Sunday School, Primary and Relief Society and served as a Counselor in the BYU Wymount Branch Relief Society Presidency and as a Relief Society President of the Roy Ninth Ward; also, as Roy Ninth Ward Historian for seven years. Perhaps her favorite calling was serving for seven years with Jes in the Weber West Area of Special Needs Mutual. Oh, how she loved those kids! Martha graduated from BYU with a BA degree in English and French. She worked for the Weber County schools at Roy High and Sandridge Jr. High, and at MOWEDA Youth Home in Roy. She was a member of the National League of American Pen Women, loved poetry, and affiliated with the Utah State Poetry Society for more than forty years, serving as director of the Junior Creative Writing Program for several years, as president of the Ben Lomond Poets of Ogden, and as Treasurer of the National Federal of State Poetry Societies. She won many poetry awards and had poems published in four volumes of Utah Sings, the USPS Panorama, the NFSPS Encore yearly prize poems, five poems published over the years in The Ensign and one in LDS Women's Treasury published by Deseret Book. She had an abundant love for and devotion to her six children and their spouses, each of her twenty-four grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren, and felt blessed to live to see twenty-one of her posterity serve full-time LDS missions. She wants to thank them for bringing her inexpressible joy in this life, with hope and faith for the life to come. Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 20, 2019 at the Roy 9th Ward Chapel, 4250 S 2175 W Roy, Utah. A viewing will be held the day of the funeral from 11:00 am -12:30 pm at the church. Internment in the Roy City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donation can be made to the Utah State Poetry Society. Services under the direction of Myers Mortuary 5865 S 1900 W Roy, Utah. Send condolences to the family at www.myers-mortuary.com