Evelyn Morris

Evelyn Maxine (Anderson) Morris of Des Moines passed away at Kavanagh House in Des Moines of natural causes on March 12, 2025.   Maxine was born on April 21, 1928 in Dixon, Illinois to Evelyn and Dick Anderson.   During the early years of the Great Depression she and her family moved to Jerome, Iowa to stay with her maternal grandparents.  She graduated from Centerville (Iowa) High School in 1946 where she was Prom Queen her senior year.   She worked in various jobs in Centerville, such as in an egg factory candling eggs and in a nursing home.  She then attended Mercy School of Nursing in Des Moines, graduating in 1951 as an RN.

She married Tom Morris at St. Mary's in Centerville in 1952 and they had six children.   She worked at St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital in Centerville until the birth of her first child in 1953.  She was a stay at home mother with six children born in a span of four years and four months (one set of twins).   In 1965 she began work at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, retiring in 1988.

She greatly enjoyed roller skating as a child (holding onto her skates into her nineties).  Maxine enjoyed cross-stitching, Danielle Steele books and People Magazine (especially the crossword puzzles).   She enjoyed watching Regis and Kathie Lee in the morning while drinking her coffee.   Maxine and Tom began following Dowling football in 1967 when their two oldest children started high school (at Dowling and St. Joseph Academy).   This continued until their health declined in 2019.   She and Tom liked working jigsaw puzzles, playing dominos and going out for pizza.   They enjoyed listening to Ray Conniff, Ray Charles and Andy Williams while working around the house.  On summer afternoons they would enjoy a Rum and Coke on their deck overlooking Easter Lake.

A routine for many summers was to spend a week boating and camping with family and friends at Deer Valley at Lake of the Ozarks.  Also much time was spent boating at Gray's Lake, the Des Moines River and Lake Rathbun.   There were also many family trips to Colorado for snow skiing.   She didn't particularly enjoy the skiing but loved going to the bars afterward (and even singing and dancing on stage with the band).   After retirement, they also enjoyed going to Florida with their neighbors every February for about ten years.

She was a long-time member of Christ The King Catholic Church, then St. Ambrose Cathedral and finally at St. Anthony's.

In June 1991 she and Tom began building their dream home on Easter Lake, moving in in February 1992 where they lived for 31 years.   She spent her last two years at Holland Farms in Norwalk where she received amazing care.   Her final five days were spent at Kavanagh House in Des Moines where she received very compassionate care.

She is survived by her children Vicki (Trevor) Hart of Castle Rock, CO, Kathy Morris, Michele (Harry) Hillaker, Mike (Yvonne) Morris and Kevin (Diane) Morris and daughter-in-law Radona Morris, all of the Des Moines area.   In addition to her children she is survived by 20 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.   She was preceded in death by her husband Tom, eldest son Mark, her parents and step-father Kenneth Van Pelt.

There will be a funeral Mass for Maxine and Tom at Saint Anthony's Catholic Church in Des Moines at 11:00 a.m. on August 2, 2025.   Their cremains will then be interred at Veteran's Cemetery in Van Meter on August 4 in a private ceremony.

Memorial contributions may be made to Saint Anthony Catholic Church, Des Moines or Dowling Catholic High School, West Des Moines.