Thomas Joseph Morris

Thomas (Tom) Joseph Morris passed away at Arbor Springs in West Des Moines of natural causes on May 31, 2023. Tom was born December 30, 1926 in Rathbun, Iowa to Peter and Augusta Morris and was the youngest of six children. He graduated from Centerville High School in 1945. Upon graduation he was drafted into the Army and served in Italy and Germany.   He was honorably discharged in 1947. Tom then graduated from watch making school in Kansas City.

He married Maxine Anderson in 1952 at St. Mary's in Centerville and they had six children. Tom worked for various jewelers including Modern Jewelers in Knoxville, Iowa and Katz in Des Moines.   Eventually Tom opened his own business with Byron Hanson, M & H Watch Repair in Des Moines. Ultimately he went into business by himself as Morris Jeweler and Watch Repair.

Tom was a member of the Des Moines Ski Hawks and a long-time member of the Des Moines Power Boat Club. Besides water skiing he enjoyed snow skiing in Colorado, biking and riding his motorcycle. 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. He was an avid Dowling and Notre Dame football fan and tried not to miss a game.  Tom could fix anything and spent countless hours working in his garage/workshop. He was an avid reader (mostly history) and gardener. He was a long-time member of Christ The King Catholic Church, then St. Ambrose Cathedral and finally at St. Anthony's.

Tom retired from watchmaking at age 62 and with his good friend Nello Barbieri painted houses until he was 76. In June 1991 Tom and Maxine began building their dream home on Easter Lake and moved in February 1992 where they lived for 31 years.

He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Maxine; children, Vicki (Trevor) Hart of Castle Rock, CO, Kathy Morris, Michele (Harry) Hillaker, Mike (Yvonne) and Kevin (Diane) and daughter-in-law Radona Morris, all of the Des Moines area.   In addition to his children he is survived by 20 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his eldest son, Mark; his parents; and five siblings.

His funeral mass will take place at St. Anthony's Catholic Church at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 2, 2025. A private family committal service will be held August 4, 2025 at Iowa Veterans Cemetery. We would like to thank the staff at Arbor Springs in West Des Moines for their compassionate care during his final three months of life.

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