ALFRED MORRISON obituary

CHESTER - The Rev. Alfred Joseph Morrison, 95, died Tuesday, May 25, 2004, at a Great Falls medical center.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chester Assembly of God Church with the Rev. Todd Lanman officiating. A luncheon will follow. A funeral service will be held at the Assembly of God Church in Blue Springs, Mo., at 2 p.m. next Thursday with the Rev. John Martz officiating. Burial will be in the family plot at the Lobb Cemetery near Independence, Mo. A luncheon will follow.

Alfred was born on Oct. 19, 1908, at Los Angeles to Joseph and Ella (Hawkins) Morrison. He grew up in northern California and received his elementary education at Dobbins. He attended high school at Marysville and graduated there in 1925. In the few years that followed, he worked in the California gold mines and peach orchards and in the laundry business.

In 1930, Alfred enrolled at the Glad Tidings Bible Institute at San Francisco. He earned his preaching certificate and became an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God for the remaining 70 years of his life.

Alfred married Alma Anna Dulleck at the Bible institute on May 22, 1932. His first ministry was at Butte in 1932, where he pioneered his first nine churches in Montana. He went to Anaconda in 1933, Fort Peck in 1935, Sidney in 1937, Jordan in 1941, Shelby in 1943, and Polson in 1945. While in Shelby, he conducted out-station Sunday schools in Sunburst and Chester.

In 1946, he moved with his family to Hilo, Hawaii, where they helped build a new church. He also established and built the Kailua Assembly of God Church on Oahu during his nine years on the islands.

He transferred to Scotts Valley, Calif., in 1957 to start a new church. In 1967, he resigned his position there to do overseas mission work. In the years that followed, he ministered throughout the world from his home base at Pacerville, Calif.

He and Alma moved to Blue Springs, Mo., in 1983 to slow down some. He continued his outreach ministry at senior citizens centers, retirement homes and nursing facilities. He was fluent in Spanish and made several missionary trips to South America.

Alma died in 1993.

Alfred was invited to Chester to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Chester Assembly of God Church in 1995. While there, he met Golda Laas, a parishioner widow. Their friendship grew and they were married on Jan. 6, 1996, in Chester. They spent their summers in Chester and winters in Blue Springs. They continued to minister at chapel services in Blue Springs and took a missionary trip to Honduras in 1997. They also traveled to Squim, Wash., to volunteer as prison ministers and to Hawaii to celebrate anniversaries of his churches there. While in Chester, Alfred was a frequent guest preacher at the Whitlash Presbyterian Church, Chester Alliance and Assembly of God churches, and the Rudyard ECNA. He also volunteered at the Liberty County Nursing Home and assisted with Bible study groups.

In his youth, Alfred played in a dance band and sang with a Spanish quartet on the radio. He played piano, organ, ukulele, violin and harmonica. He also enjoyed photography. He developed carpentry skills over the years and built many pulpits, birdhouses, book cases, shelves, games and other wood projects. During his quiet time, he read and wrote poetry. Some of his poems are included in his biography, "Born on Wheels and Adventures in Faith," published in 1994.

Alfred was preceded in death by his parents; first wife; son-in-law, Herman Janzen; sister, Jewell Frederick; granddaughter, Susan Pacitti; and two great-grandsons, Jeffrey Wentworth and Robert Farnsworth Jr.

Survivors include his wife, Golda Morrison of Chester; daughters, Aleen (Tony) Pacitti of Loveland, Colo., Adell Janzen of Polson, and Julene (Dick) Hatlin of Polson; five stepchildren, Doni (Krystal) Laas of Hillsboro, Ore., Bonnie (Ben) Shaw of Scappoose, Ore., Koni (Mark) Comfort of Scappoose, Ore., Cyndy (Joe) LaSorte of Chester, and Rob (Tina) Laas of Chester; seven grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; eight great-great-grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; one step-great-grandchild; and one nephew and two nieces.

Funeral arrangements are by Rockman Funeral Chapel of Chester and Webb-Freer Funeral Home in Blue Springs.