Dear One's of St. C's, 

This Sunday after the 11am service we will be interning the ashes of Mary F. Morris that have been under the care of St. Columba's for over two decades.  When Christopher Wagner learned about these ashes he took it upon himself to find ways to honor her memory by researching and learning all he could about her life.  Please read below to learn more about Mary's life, who asked for her ashes to be interned at St. Columba's.  This will finally happen this Sunday.  We hope you will join us on Sunday as we finally lay Mary's ashes into our Memorial Garden. 

with care, 

Meghan

From Christopher:

Mary F. Morris was born on July 24th, 1909, at Hammersmith Hospital in the Shepherd's Bush district of west London, England, to Walter Ernest Stenning and Francis Georgina Stenning (Jeffrey).  Her father immigrated to the United States to establish a business and became a naturalized citizen in 1923.  The next year, when Mary was fifteen, Walter sponsored the immigration of his wife Francis and their five children, Walter (Jr), Fredrick, Georgina, Mary, and Marjorie.

At the age of twenty-two years, on June 6th, 1931, Mary married Courtland Latimer Morris who was born on April 21, 1909, in Revelstoke, British Columbia to Courtland Dewitt Morris and Blanch Eldora Rankert.  By 1934 the two had moved to Plymouth, Indiana, where they lived together until 1963 at which time they purchased their home on 9th Ave S in Des Moines, Washington.  Courtland's 1977 suicide left Mary as the sole owner of the property, and she continue to live there.  Mary asked Fred Pneuman, a military veteran and trusted colleague of her late husband as well as parishioner of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church (Medina, Washington), to get rid of Courtland's gun collection.  Mary was herself a collector of antiques.

Mary was unflappable, always keeping a British-style stiff upper lip.  She was known as excitable woman who did not to have any children, choosing to make the most of her own life rather than live vicariously through the next generation. Mary never lost sight of her English roots and lived with the mindset of British nobility, always maintaining a standard of dignity and elegance.  Even after her husband's death, she took care of herself, continuing to dress in style, apply cosmetics, and set a proper dinner table even while eating alone.

She was a picky eater but enjoyed a variety of wines; was quite personable, easily striking up conversations in social circles; and kept informed on current events by reading the newspaper.  Mary loved to dialogue about important matters of the day with others who were also well informed.  She was known to truly pause and listen for a response when asking others how they were doing.  She had a dog, a Studebaker car with a push-button start, and a wig!  Mary was not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination, but she loved flowers.

By 1977, Mary was established as a member of the Diocesan Alter Guild, serving weekly as Hostess/Angel thanks to carpooling options to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood provided by parishioners of St. James' Episcopal Church (Kent, Washington).  It is unclear when Mary started attending St. Columba's Episcopal Church (now in Kent but then in Des Moines), but a picture of her was found in the 1990 pictorial directory.  It was in 1990 that Mary was recognized as an honorary member of the Diocesan Altar Guild.

In her later years, Mary became concerned about the management of her affairs.  Fred agreed once again to help.  After moving her into an assisted living facility, Fred handled the sale of her home on November 16, 1998, just five months before Mary died on April 5, 1999.  He would continue to help ensure that her remains and estate were properly settled.  

Mary donated her remains to the University of Washington's Willed Body Program for scientific research, and she named four beneficiaries for her property, including a charitable nonprofit, her next-of-kin nephew in England, and others.  Two years after her death, her cremated remains were returned from the university to St. Columba's where plans were being made for the creation of a columbarium.  The project was delayed, and Mary's ashes have remained safe within the church office for the last two decades.  In 2022, the church opened its memorial garden where our dear sister in Christ can now be laid to rest.