ARLENE CROWLEY MORRISON

May 23, 1923 – July 4, 2024

Arlene Crowley Morrison was born May 23, 1923 to Ernest and Josephine Crowley in a small town in Maine, the 8th of 10 children. Her father was a lobster fisherman. When she graduated from high school, she wanted to become a nurse. However, due to a previous surgical complication, they did not think she could do the lifting required in nursing. So, instead she trained and showed dogs. That experience included winning “Best Puppy” at Madison Square Garden one year. She was eventually accepted into “nurses training.” She worked at Pondville Hospital in Massachusetts, a cancer research and treatment hospital. She met her future husband, Gerald I (Jerry) Morrison in Rhode Island. Her sister lived next to Jerry’s grandmother.

She married Jerry in 1955 and they moved to Arizona, where Jerry was a Police Officer. Her daughters Patricia (Pat) and Teresa were both born in Arizona. Jerry was offered a job with the California State Parks, so the family moved to Santa Barbara where they lived from 1969 – 1980. The family moved to Santa Rosa when Jerry was transferred there in 1980. When Jerry retired in 1990, they moved to Portland to be closer to their daughters. Her husband passed away in 1994. In 2015 Arlene moved to Courtyard Village. She loved Courtyard Village – all the people who lived there and worked there and all her friends there.
Arlene made friends wherever she lived. She remembered people, their grandchildren, their birthdays and their names. She knit many afghans, baby blankets, sweaters, slippers, and dish cloths. She also enjoyed gardens and plants. Her family and friends will remember her laugh, her positive attitude and her zest for life. She was also an active member of Presbyterian churches for more than 50 years.

She is survived by her daughters Patricia Bell (Michael) of Portland, Oregon and Teresa Clayton (Robert) of Hughson, California, her grandchildren April, Travis, and Tanner and her great-grandchildren Brody and Nora, as well as friends far and wide.

A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, August 3rd, 2024 – 2:00pm at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 3228 SW Sunset Blvd, Portland, Oregon 97239.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to one of the churches listed below.

For those who wish, donations may be made in her name to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church or Presbyterian Church of the Roses, 2500 Patio Court, Santa Rosa, CA 95405.