Celebration of Life – Alice Morgan

Join us to celebrate the life well-lived of Alice Morgan! A service of celebration will be led by the Rev. Doug McCoy in the Sanctuary, followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall with goodies overflowing with strawberries! To understand why, read on! To join by Zoom, click here.

Alice Ausborn Asay was born in Manasquan, NJ on September 1, 1929, the second of five children born to Milton and Olive (Lent) Asay. She passed away in Reno, Nevada on February 22, 2023 (February 23, 2023, New Jersey time – her 71st wedding anniversary) at the age of 93. She grew up in the Methodist camp town of Ocean Grove, New Jersey – “God’s Square Mile of Health and Happiness.” Growing up during the Great Depression was not easy, and it left a lasting impression on her, as it did on many people from that era. One of her favorite expressions, learned from her father, was “Eat it or go without.”

In late 1951, after visiting her sister Sarah and niece Sally in Boise, ID, Alice took the bus to Reno because she heard it was a fun town and jobs were available. On New Year’s Eve, she and another woman were at a bar on Commercial Row, when two men began a conversation with the two women. One was opening a restaurant in Sparks, so Alice rattled off her phone number at the boarding house so he could contact her about a job. The would-be restauranteur never called. It was the other man, a handsome carpenter named Orin Morgan, who called her. All of seven weeks later, on February 23, 1952, they were married in a small ceremony in downtown Reno. Their marriage lasted over 56 years, until Orin’s passing in 2008.

Alice spent the first 25 or so years of her marriage raising her and Orin’s three boys. While the boys were at school, she worked at home as a seamstress, making dresses and doing alterations, as well as many of her own clothes and a number of shirts and jackets for the family. She was especially proud to use her earnings to treat the family to an Oakland Athletics baseball game (their first major league game).

Once the boys were all in school, she went to night school to get her high school diploma. In 1977 she enrolled at UNR and attained a BA degree in Communications in 1987. She was the only member of her family to graduate from college. In 1980 she received a two-year degree from the School of Theology in Claremont College. She used this knowledge to teach communication skills at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center for 11 years. She ran the Morgan household – getting groceries (no small task), fixing meals (lots of creativity), paying bills (who knew how easily eyeglass frames broke?), and cleaning the house (no small chore). And she found time to volunteer at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Reno (where she was a member for over 50 years), primarily overseeing the children’s programs. She also made robes for the entire boys’ choir.

Her boys’ activities – backyard baseball, organized baseball and football, late-night basketball, motorcycles, illegal drag racing, illegal fireworks (purchased and homemade) – seemed to prepare her for her long-time volunteer work with the Kairos Prison Ministry program at the Nevada Men’s and Women’s prisons in Carson City and Lovelock. She also served many years on the Board of Directors of Kairos, where she became known as “The Strawberry Lady” because of the ritual of hand-feeding food to the Kairos participants at each event, much like Jesus did. She also served on the Board of Directors of The Ridge House, a half-way house for former inmates re-entering society, and participated, with Orin, in the renovations to The Ridge House’s facilities.

Once all the boys moved out of the house for the last time, she and Orin began traveling, first in a small motorhome, then on organized tours. They visited many of the National Parks in the western US, rode trains, cruised to Alaska, and saw baseball games at nearly every Major League ballpark west of Texas. She and Orin were an important part of their grandchildren’s lives, providing guidance, care, and love, and setting a positive example. She baked lots of cookies to enjoy together. She was always willing to lend a compassionate ear for problems big and small. She maintained a warm and comforting home ready for after school snacks, homework, and the occasional puzzle. She made everyone in the room feel like family, including her great grand dogs Camus and Toasty. She was loved and looked after by her neighbors, who dubbed her the “Mayorette of California Avenue” after the passing of “Mayor” Orin. Everyone she knew loved and adored her; she will be missed.

Alice was predeceased by her parents, all her siblings (Sarah, Charles, Mary, and Bill), her husband Orin, and infant daughter Karen Jean. She is survived by her three sons – Charles, Michael, and Russell – two grandchildren: Alexander and Katryna, and granddaughter-in-law Kyra. She is also survived by her New Jersey family: sister-in-law Bonnie, nieces Sally and Karen, nephew Billy, and their families. She is also survived by her many loving friends in the Kairos community.

At Alice’s request you are encouraged to donate to any of the following organizations in her memory:
First United Methodist Church, 209 W. First Street, Reno, NV 89501
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1660 Grandview Avenue, Reno, NV 89503
Episcopal Diocese of Nevada/Kairos Prison Ministry, 2621 Brookside Way, Carson City, NV 89701
The Ridge House, 900 W. First Street, Suite 200, Reno, NV 89503
Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, 2680 East Ninth Street, Reno, NV 89512

And of course, eat lots of strawberries.