Gail Roland Morrison, 93, died Saturday, March 14, 2020, at his home in Salina. He was born April 5, 1926, in Salina, the son of Gail Matthew and Racie E. (Hilton) Morrison. He graduated from Salina High School with the class of 1944. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946, stationed in Guam. He received the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the Victory Medal. Upon his return, he graduated from Kansas State University, Manhattan, in 1950. Go Cats!
Gail married Margaret Lindblom on June 4, 1950, at First United Methodist Church, Salina. He started out working for J.C. Penney selling shoes; he also worked for Finance Credit Company and sold insurance. He worked as a storekeeper at Kansas Power and Light, retiring after 19 years of service in 1987. He was a 60-year member of Salina Lodge 60 and a Past Master. He was a member of the Scottish Rite, Isis Shrine and Isis Shrine Highlander Pipes and Drums and enjoyed playing the bagpipes. After retirement Gail and Margaret went to craft shows, selling their ceramics.
He was a seventy-year member of First United Methodist Church, Salina. He participated in many groups at the church including Peacemakers and Pathfinders Sunday school classes, kitchen crew, board of trustees and memorials committee. He also served as an office helper and Sunday School teacher and helped count the offering. He and Margaret made many ceramic pieces for church activities. He was a regular attendee at First Covenant Church, Salina. His friends at Arbor Court were very important to him.
Gail always thought he had no relatives, but with the last name Morrison, we knew differently. He and his family started doing genealogy and ended up with more than nine generations of relatives — hundreds of cousins — dating back to 1680 in Scotland. His great-grandfather, Whitfield Morrison, came to Salina in 1860, the fifth family to settle in Salina.
He is survived by his daughters, Constance M. “Connie” Christopher (Michael) and Susan L. Borthwick (Corwin, all of Salina; four grandchildren, Abigail M. Burchfield (Adam, of Sagamihara, Japan, Jeremy M. Christopher (Kelsey, of Wichita, Evan B. Borthwick (Sarah, of Warrensburg, Mo., and Grant B. Borthwick, of Redmond, Wash.; six great-grandchildren, Amelia, Lexi and Caleb Burchfield, Harper and Hadley Christopher and Felicity Borthwick; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret, in 2017; his parents; and sister, Mary Ruth Anderson, in 2017.
Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 26, 2020 at the Ryan Mortuary, Salina where the family will receive friends from 9 a.m. until the time of the service.
Memorials are suggested to the Morrison Q Genealogical Assn, Inc. or Hospice of Salina in care of the Ryan Mortuary.