June Morris

Yesterday, on September 3, my dad’s birthday, my mom began the next part of her journey. She passed peacefully with her family around her.

Since I have known her, she has always been herself — small in stature, mighty in character, fiercely dedicated to
both the ones she loves and
getting her own way.

Tenacious in every way, being the best, giving one hundred percent and winning were her theme songs. June Marian (Hurst) Morris graduated from college summa cum laude with a baby and a toddler born less than a year apart.

During her teaching career she volunteered to teach both special education and English as a second language classes before there were established curriculums, creating ways to meet students’ needs and move them forward in their skills with such impressive success. As an English teacher at Katella High School and a counselor at Anaheim High School she positively impacted hundreds of students’ lives, sharing with them her ‘can do’ attitude and perseverance.

As with most every aspect of her life, when she and husband Ladd discovered their admiration and love for Saint Bernards their dedication and work ethic prevailed, and Morris Saints became synonymous with quality. They were dedicated to breeding Saint Bernards that maintained the standards so relevant to this strong and gentle breed. Ladd’s and June’s athleticism and precision were apparent in their showmanship in the highly competitive dog show ring for over twenty years. Their pride in their list of champions was second only to the joy they found together in raising and training their dogs.

In the last years they shared together they found a peace and togetherness that, as their daughter, I cherish. Not a day went by after Ladd passed that June did not miss him. In her last days thoughts of being with him again would cause her to look away into a distance I could not see, and she would smile the most gentle smile, and so that is how I will celebrate her life . . . seeing them together smiling their big bright smiles and knowing how many challenges they overcame and accomplished together.