In Memory of Elizabeth Miller Morton

Family picture from Thanksgiving a few years ago <3

      Any time you had the privilege of being in her presence, I believe you left touched by many of her honorable qualities and gifts.  Elizabeth Miller Morton was a woman who knew how to serve, laugh, and love all that lived life alongside her. 

     She was a woman who knew how to serve.  Nana was a woman of tradition and loved to serve her family and friends.  Every year, she would host multiple holiday parties at her house.  It was a way to open her home and celebrate with family and friends.  This was a great deal of work and effort on her part, but she worked hard weeks before each event to prepare the house and the food for the company. The house was always spotless and the food was delicious and abundant. The cupboards were stocked with treats (including her famous homemade chocolate chip cookies).  In December, the Christmas trees were up and ready to be decorated by the crowd.  In the summer, the pool was ready to swim in and the hammocks were hung. All were greatly blessed by her generosity and hospitality.  Much of my childhood memories are from Nana and Papa’s house and are reflections of how meaningful she made time spent there.  I personally desire to have the dedication and heart to serve my family and friends in the same way.  She put the interests of others first and served generously – above and beyond what would have been expected. 
      She was a woman who knew how to laugh.  She greatly appreciated humor.  From what I have heard, her father was always telling jokes.  So naturally, Nana picked up on the humor and passed it on to us. She had a way of making one liner comments that would leave you laughing for minutes.  She loved to watch Johnny Carson and David Letterman to get some good laughs before bed.  And she taught us to laugh and to enjoy life, too.  The family get togethers were full of loud conversations, dynamic stories – both of which led to laughter.  For example, for Nana and Papa’s 50^th anniversary – we did a music from the decades evening when all of the family performed songs to walk down memory lane.  We all looked and sounded ridiculous, which made for an evening of memorable humor.  If it is true that you burn calories when you laugh – I think that we all lost weight that night.  Our family has so many stories that get repeated time after time that lead to a deep belly laugh.  Laughter truly lightens a mood and brings joy even in difficult times.  We hope that the memorial service celebrating her life will be full of laughter and joyful memories of all the wonderful times we had together.
     Finally, she was a woman who knew how to love.  The most amazing and beautiful quality about Elizabeth Morton was her ability to love.  She loved and was not afraid to show it.  She loved in word and in deed.  She loved beyond what was expected.  She loved her family, her friends, and even those she did not know well or at all.  One of Nana’s favorite yearly events was participating in Operation Christmas Child.  She would fill a shoebox with toys, books, and treats and send it off with a sweet note to an underprivileged child somewhere in the world.  I remember her receiving a letter back with joy.  She continued communication with the little girl and even posted her picture on the fridge.  She showed love to us as her grandchildren by giving us her time and showering us with sweet and meaningful gifts.  There were 6 grandchildren and every year we each had a ‘private vacation’ – which included a few day stay with nana and papa, access to the pool, and time to relax, watch movies, eat treats, and play games.  She shared her life with us.  She also loved crafts and would make us personalized pillows, sweatshirts, and my favorite – which I treasure were the ornaments she would give us each year.  Every Christmas I get to look at and remember the beautiful and thoughtful gifts she made for us.  They expressed her love in a way that will stay on my heart forever.
      Elizabeth Miller Morton lived a full and joyful life because she learned how to live for more than herself.  She loved the Lord with all her heart and shared her faith with her family and friends.  She put the needs of others above her own, found reasons to laugh whether things were good or bad, and chose to love even when it was difficult.  I am blessed to be a granddaughter of Elizabeth Miller Morton and I know that I have learned to serve, laugh, and love better because of her.  She will be dearly missed, but she has left her legacy on those of us in her life.  Let’s pass on the legacy to our children and their children: Choose to serve, laugh, and love.

This captures the laughter we often enjoyed when we were together <3

http://www.ford-funeralhome.com/allen_chapel/obituaries_view.php