David Thomas Morris
September 1, 1951 – June 24, 2026
David was born in Niagara Falls to Jim and Mary (nee Fee) Morris of Crowland Township in the former Welland County. He was welcomed into the Morris farm home by his siblings Bob, Wesley, and Marjorie, his parents, and his paternal grandparents who lived in part of the house.
This context was rich with learning opportunities for David. His mother, a former public-school teacher, and his sister, four years his senior who loved “playing teacher”, had him reading and writing by the time he started school. The men of the household were natural “tinkerers” who loved the challenge of creating and/or repairing anything and everything that involved problem-solving and working with one’s hands. David often spoke of working alongside his grandfather in the garden or yard, exploring the natural world of plants and trees, insects and birds, livestock and wild creatures, an interest that remained with him throughout his lifetime.
David attended S.S. #7 (Lundy’s Rural School) until its closure in 1969, which coincided with David’s graduation into high school. He attended East Dale Secondary School in Welland where, with his ability to remember everything he read or heard, he excelled academically especially in Maths and Sciences. Like his two older brothers, David attended University of Guelph, graduating in 1973 with a B.Sc. (Agriculture) in Crop Science, followed by a M.Sc. in Crop Science (1975).
Between 1975-1994, David was employed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF), initially as an Assistant Agricultural Representative in Brant County, then as Soils and Crops Specialist with provincial specialty on corn. He worked in various OMAF branch offices: Ridgetown, St. Thomas, and Alliston. His primary function as a Soils and Crops Specialist was to advise farmers on matters related to crop production and soil management practices through private consultations, workshops, seminars, field days, newsletters, factsheets, and booklets. He authored or contributed to several OMAF factsheets and publications determining recommendations on corn production or soil fertility. He was a regular contributor to The Ontario Corn Producer magazine. He assisted in planning and delivering the Crops Day program of various Farmers’ Weeks (in Ridgetown, Peel County, and Simcoe County) and for numerous local crop tours and twilight meetings.
David served as Secretary of the Ontario Canola Committee and of the Ontario Inter-tilled Crops Committee, and both as Secretary-Treasurer and then Chairperson of the Ontario Corn Committee.
Following his marriage in October 1992 to Elizabeth McKinlay, he moved from Alliston to her residence in Markdale, and in 1993, resigned his position with OMAFRA. For the next 30 years, he was a self-employed consultant: authoring several reports and factsheets for the Federal “Green Plan” on topics such as technology transfer, field crop production and management, soil management, nutrient management, agricultural biotechnology, and agricultural pesticides. He served as Secretary for various sectors within Ontario agriculture during this time: 25 years with the Ontario Corn Committee, eight years with the Ontario Forage Crops Committee, and 10 years with the Ontario Cereal Crops Committee.
David was an active volunteer in various organizations throughout most of his adult life. He served at various times on the Official Boards at United Churches in St. Thomas, Alliston, and Sarawak United in Georgian Bluffs. In his various leadership roles, David was valued for his wisdom, his non-anxious presence, his humour, his awareness of group dynamics and process which enabled groups to move toward solutions and action.
He was Secretary-Treasurer and later Coordinator of events for the Southern Ontario Orientation to Rural Ministry (SOORM) during the 1990’s until its discontinuation in 2014. Beginning in the mid-1990’s, David was a member and eventually the Chair of the Rural Life Committee of Toronto Conference (of the UCC). It was at a Rural Life event held in Minesing in January 1992 where he and Elizabeth met.
As the farm crisis unfolded due to the high interest rates of the 1980’s, the Queens Bush Rural Ministries was formed by faith communities within Grey and Bruce Counties. David served as Director for some years, and as its Chair during the late 1990’s.
Prompted by the Syrian refugee crisis, a local Grey-Bruce working group which called itself the Grey Bruce Newcomer Network (GBNN) was formed in 2015 to work with government agencies and local service agencies and groups wishing to sponsor Syrian refugees. From its inception, David became involved, prompted not only by his sense of our ethical and moral responsibility to support others in need, but also knowing that “newcomers” bring their gifts, abilities, and richness to strengthen and enhance the fabric of our local communities. For several years he served both as Secretary and Board member of the GBNN which evolved into “Welcoming Communities Grey Bruce”, incorporated in 2019 as a non-profit organization. He served as its Chair from 2019 to 2025 and remained an active volunteer participant as this organization expanded its mandate. He served as a member of the Steering Committee for Rural Economic Development Newcomer Project; Making Grey-Bruce Home; and Grey Bruce Settlement and Language Services.
David’s love of the world of nature, specifically of plants, combined with his love of learning and research, his ability to write with succinctness, use of proper grammar, and with scientific accuracy, were reflected in his commitment in recent years as a member of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists’ (OSFN) Publications Committee. This committee revised and re-published four books within the past four years, with a fifth currently in the process toward publication. This detailed work was David’s primary focus and quiet passion, despite restrictions from macular degeneration which slowed his work. David overcame this significant limitation with pure persistence as he studied plants in meadows and roadsides and reviewed and revised endless pages, all with the aid of a magnifying glass in hand. He was a regular attendee at the monthly OSFN meetings and often provided a mini presentation at the yearly “Members’ Night” about some novel topic of interest or mini research project. David led many local nature hikes for the OSFN, typically two or three each year, roaming through abandoned farmland, along riverbanks, rail trails, or rural roadsides and ditches. In early June, David was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership by the OSFN in recognition of his various contributions.
Over the years David enjoyed attending the reunions of his OAC ’73 class and served as a Class Executive Member for 5 years. In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of their class, David served as a Legacy Committee member from 2018 until time of his death, with its goal to raise $1 million to establish two scholarship funds: one: to support students in the Bachelor’s level agricultural program, and, two: to support renovations of Johnston Hall (a symbol and landmark of the Agricultural College and the University of Guelph).
In his free time, David loved reading, especially non-fiction, occasional “murder and mayhem”, and doing endless crossword, cryptic and other challenging puzzles. He and Elizabeth loved to walk, with David preferring to “roam and meander” to study plants with magnifying glass in hand. In lieu of TV, David subscribed to TSN to watch basketball and curling, football and hockey, and chatted frequently with his sister about “those Bluejays”.
David loved memorizing and reciting (mostly) “non-sense” poetry at a variety of gatherings, intriguing people with his excellent memory and entertaining them with various whimsical themes and imaginative scenarios. He first learned Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussycat for a primary school group recitation and recited it innumerable times throughout his life.
In 1949 and in 1956, David’s father purchased two properties, the first deemed the “Hunt Camp” and the second on La Brash Lake, both in Whitestone Municipality north of Parry Sound. The family spent two weeks every summer there, fishing, swimming, reading and relaxing, surrounded by nature. In his adult years, David and his father spent the first full week of November there hunting. Following his father’s death in 1992, David and his brother Wes enjoyed time together, tramping through the bush and sitting in nature, awaiting the illusive four-legged animal which seldom appeared for them! In 2023, David donated the 200 acre “Hunt Camp” property to the Magnetawan Watershed Land Trust both to honour his family’s commitment to nature and to ensure its long-term preservation as a nature reserve. The Land Trust describes this property as “a beautiful mix of forest, wetlands, and historical landscapes that has been a part of the Morris family for 74 years”.
David was predeceased by his parents Jim and Mary Morris, by his eldest brother Bob (June 2021), and by his sister-in-law Claudia Elliott (June 2025). He will be remembered with much love and respect by his spouse Elizabeth McKinlay of Owen Sound; by his eldest brother Bob’s widow Mary Kay (of Picton) and their children: Kieran (and Nathalie Larose) (James and Ella); Ed and Carin; Rachel (and Mike Barnes) (Jonah, Mirabelle, and Darcy); by his brother Wes (late Claudia) of La Brash and their children: Ausi (and Mark Riley) (Cedar and Rowan); Skei (Dan Howse); and by his sister Marjorie of rural Niagara Falls. David will also be remembered with respect by Elizabeth’s siblings: James and Joan McKInlay (Robert and Emily) of Ravenna, and Rosemary and Ken Mitchell of Annan (James, Sarah and Sara).
Arrangements have been entrusted to Grey Bruce Cremation and Burial Services, Owen Sound. In keeping with David’s wishes, cremation has taken place. His ashes will be returned to the earth at various places of special significance to him.
In the almost six weeks between his diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer until his death, David was blessed to receive many words and expressions of gratefulness and recognition for who he was and what he shared with others, honouring “a life so well lived”.
Those wishing to make a memorial donation in honour of David’s life are invited to consider Welcoming Communities Grey-Bruce, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (Winnipeg office), or the Grey Bruce Hospice Foundation.
Special thanks to the caring and helpful staff at the Kelso Pines Retirement Home where David resided for almost three weeks after his hospital stay, and to the wonderful community of Chapman House who supported he and Elizabeth with tenderness and kindness throughout his last week of life.
“All I have needed, Thy Hand hath provided, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me”.
Photo Credit to Simon Farla.