Thomas Ray Morriss

THOMAS RAY MORRISS October 17, 1938 – March 17, 2025

Thomas (Tom) Morriss passed away Monday, March 17, 2025 at home in Sierra Vista after a short battle with lung cancer. Tom was born October 17, 1938, in Austin, Texas to Trudy Alma Hutson and Elmer Lewis Morriss. During his early years, he was raised on a ranch in Austin, played little league baseball as a pitcher and was a photographer for William B.Travis High School. In 1957, he was a Cadet Commander in the Austin Civil Air Patrol and selected as the Outstanding Cadet to spend fifteen days in Italy in an oversees exchange program. He joined the Air Force in 1958 and became a jet mechanic while stationed at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. After serving four years, he was additionally retained for another seven months and thirteen days due to the Cuban Crisis.

Tom worked in Florida as an electrician and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1975 and worked for Pittman's Electric. For a number of years he owned a Shell gas station in Phoenix. He moved to Sierra Vista in 1986 and went to work for Denny's Electric. He met and married the love of his life, Pat Behr Smith, in 1989 where they built their own home on the outskirts of Sierra Vista. Tom was a man of all trades. He could do anything including building and remodeling houses, woodworking, making mesquite furniture and was also known as a boyer, making long bows and recurve archery equipment. He was Vice President of the Huachuca Mountain Archers and Bowhunters Club for four years. He made large buffalo targets, moving targets and many trophies for the club and the 2- Day Buck Lewis Archery shoots.

As a couple, Pat and Tom loved dancing the two-step and waltz to Country Music. They also enjoyed the outdoors by golfing, boating, playing on the Sr. Softball Team, camping with their fifth wheel, shooting competitive archery, hunting and fishing in Alaska and sightseeing in the United States and Canada. They took their love of travel to another level by Cruising all over the world including Russia, Europe, Asia, Galapagos Islands, Machu-Picchu, Greece, Iceland, the Caribbean and the Panama Canal.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents Alma and Elmer Morriss, his brother Robert and his two sisters, Dorothy and Merle. He is survived by his daughter, Suzanne (James) Duval of Flagstaff and his loving wife, Pat. The family would like to thank the wonderful staff of Casa de la Paz Hospice for their loving care and guidance, especially Chelsie and Caitlin and caregivers, Ruby, Lucy and May. Tom was known for his dry sense of humor. He was romantic and thoughtful and always able to make his wife laugh. Together they lived a wonderful and fulfilling life. Always remember -

We Lived, We Loved, We Laughed.

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