Gary Paul Morris

On February 2, 1954 (Groundhog Day) Gary Paul Morris was born in Morris, Illinois. He entered eternal peace on October 31, 2022 (Halloween).

Gary was the second child of Robert and Mary Lou Morris. He had an older sister Gayle and a younger brother, Dan.

After high school Gary headed to Iowa State University. If you caught him on a particularly chatty day, he enjoyed telling stories of his days in Friley Hall with his long-time pals George, Kevin, Bob, Bill, Jeff and Chaz. His love of the Cyclones withstood every losing football season he experienced; but he did love to grumble about it. He graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science in 1976.

In 1976 Gary and Linda Sanders were married. They spent 28 years building a life and family together which included their two sons, Jake and Danny. Gary had a deep love and appreciation for the outdoors and nature. Over the years he found many ways to share that love with his boys and his friends. Favorite pursuits included fishing, hiking, and just soaking up the wonder of it all with loved ones. Gary adored spending time with his boys—watching sports, watching movies, or just hanging out together. He spent hours and hours working in his yard and prided himself on having the best lawn in town.

After taking the business world by storm, Gary moved up the ranks at Iowa Limestone Company, ultimately becoming their Vice President and then decided to go back to school and become a teacher. He graduated from Drake University with a master’s degree in education. He had a passion for changing students’ lives by instilling a love of the earth and all things science-related. Gary brought his business knowledge to the classroom and taught students to love learning as well as life skills. He was loved by all his students for his funny demeanor and ability to hold his students to a high standard, thus teaching them more life lessons than he ever even realized. A devoted Cubs fan, Gary always played “Go Cubs Go,” in his classroom on opening day of baseball season. Even after retiring from Des Moines Public Schools, Gary continued teaching. Most recently, he was teaching science online for Net High and Jordahl Academy, helping students earn their high school diplomas.

One of Gary’s greatest roles was that of “grandpa.” Gary loved his grandkids and liked to share stories of them with those around him. He loved having his grandkids visit him at his farm where he would take them fishing, build forts with them, and anything else they wanted to do. Gary tried to portray the image of a curmudgeonly ole man, but once you saw his eyes light up around his kids and grandkids, you knew he had a heart of gold.

If you knew Gary, you knew how much he loved animals. Gary loved all animals, but especially dogs. His considered his dogs to be family and they were near and dear to his heart.

Those who went before Gary included his grandparents, parents, and sister. Those left to honor him include his brother Dan, sons Jake (Kate), Danny, his partner Kathy McKee, and her sons Bryan Jason and Kyle, his grandchildren including Jude, Brody and Carly along with Grayson and Georgia, Paxon, Prezley, Izzy, Scout, and Lucky, as well as his two dogs Floyd and Gus… and his many friends and former students.

Gary will live on in all our memories, and if we learned anything from him, he would want us all to take these words of wisdom with us: love animals, go outside, keep reading, ask questions, hang upside down, treasure your family, look up and wonder, and laugh often.

A Celebration of Life gathering will take place on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at Tapz Pub, 8450 Hickman Road, Clive, Iowa from 1 to 7 p.m. This will be a time to swap stories, share memories, shed a tear or two, and most of all to laugh together like he would want. In lieu of flowers, memorials may made to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa.

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