Margaret Ann Porter Morris died unexpectedly on Aug. 16, 2024, in Portland, Oregon, just shy of her 71st birthday.
Marg Ann (or Margom) was born on Aug. 21,1953 in Missoula, Montana to parents Irene and Dr. Marvin B. Porter. She lived her childhood in Missoula in the University District, attended Paxson Grade School and graduated from Hellgate High School in 1971.
Marg Ann was an active child, involved in tennis and music. She also developed a lifelong love of skiing. She was close to her older brother Joe and sister Lindy, and stayed connected throughout her life to her Missoula friends from grade school, high school and nursing school. During high school she spent her summers in Hoquiam, Washington with Lindy and her family. She attended St. Patrick’s School of Nursing in Missoula from 1973 to 1976 and later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Montana State University in 1977. She began her career as a Registered Nurse at St. Patrick Hospital 1976, where she was born.
In 1973, she married Peter Mast, and they later divorced. Their son Jefferson Joe was born in 1978 in Kalispell where she worked from 1977 to 1984 at Kalispell Regional Medical Center (KRMC), now Logan Health Medical Center. She remained close to friends from Kalispell and KRMC/Logan. In her first years working in the ICU at KRMC she completed 100 flights with the Advanced Life-Support and Emergency Rescue Team (A.L.E.R.T.) helicopter program. She retired from Logan in 2019 where she worked for many years as a Charge Nurse in the Surgical unit.
In 1983 she reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Cliff Morris, whom she met during her first summer in Hoquiam. She and Cliff married in 1984 and she and Jefferson moved to Aberdeen, Washington where they lived among a special community of friends on Reynvaan Drive. While in Aberdeen she worked for the Grays Harbor County Department of Health and taught at Grays Harbor Community College. Then began her years working for Community Hospital where she became Charge nurse of Surgery. In 2006 Marg Ann and Cliff built a home on Flathead Lake in Northwest Montana and moved there permanently after Cliff retired from United Parcel Service. Walking with their Labrador for exercise was a daily ritual.
Marg Ann was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings. She is survived by her husband Cliff, son Jefferson (Amy) and their young sons Benjamin and Theodore; brother-in-law Larry Morris (Bobbi) and sons Joe, Nick (Katie) and Dan (Julie); sister-in-law Rebecca Lubber and children, Lindsey, Wyatt and Carly (Elias); nephews William (Eve) and Dan (Becky) James and numerous Morris, Porter, James and Mast nieces, nephews and cousins.
Education was very important to Marg Ann. It was natural for her to be attracted to P.E.O., which supports women’s education. Margaret Ann was currently president of her local P.E.O. chapter, AB. This group of women raises funds and awards scholarships to women to further their education. If you would like to make a donation to the scholarship fund in Margaret Anne’s memory, please mail it to:
Sue Swab, P.E.O. Chapter AB Treasurer, 115 West Bluegrass Drive, Kalispell, MT 59901. Checks should be payable to: P.E.O. Chapter AB. In the memo line, write “in memory of Margaret Ann Morris”
No memorial service is planned as were her wishes.
