Elizabeth "Betty" (Hazell) Morris

Elizabeth Honor Morris

November 1, 1925 - December 8, 2022

On Thursday, December 8, 2022, Elizabeth “Betty” Honor Morris passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family at home at the age of ninety-seven. Born to Frederick and Ellen (O’Connell) Hazell on Sunday, November 1, 1925, Betty grew up in London, England. She witnessed first-hand the hardships of World War II, from childhood evacuations and nightly family gatherings sleeping in the London Underground for protection during German bombing raids to leaving school at 14 years old to work for Heinz. It was there she spoke of “milk” breaks in the afternoon and company dances after work on Friday nights. Towards the end of WWII, Betty joined the war effort and enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), a women’s branch of the British Army. It was during this time that she met Joseph “Joe” Shelby Morris, a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force who was stationed in London during this time. At the end of the war, Betty excepted a marriage proposal from Joe. She took a very courageous step forward to leave her life with her mother, father, and seven siblings (Kit, Jean, Nelle, Patrick, Edie, Rose, and Doreen) to join Joe in Columbus, Ohio, in 1946. They later settled in Grove City, Ohio, with their three children Joseph “Joe” Shelby Morris Jr. and Robert “Bob” Charles Morris, and their daughter, Carol Anne Morris. Although her husband, Joe, died too soon on September 18, 1975, Elizabeth maintained a loving home in Grove City, Ohio, for her family to find comfort, companionship, and protection from life’s storms. On Monday, December 12, 2022, Betty’s immediate family, including her three children and their spouses, Joe (Elsa) Morris, Robert "Bob" (Emily) Morris, and Carol (Doug) Kinkoph, her grandchildren Michael, Kaitlin, Madeline, and Blake along with her great-grandchild Mia, will gather for a family, grave-side service officiated by Father Ted at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Circleville, Ohio. Her extended family in England, including her surviving sister Rose, will join us in spirit to honor the woman whose wisdom has shaped each of our lives and will continue to whisper in our ears forever more.

Online condolences can be made to www.wellmanfuneralhomes.com.