Jack Ray Morrow

Jan 17, 1930 -

Nov 24, 2022

Jack Ray Morrow died peacefully, at age 92, on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 2022, in his apartment at Brookdale Bend, a memory care facility in Bend, Ore.

He was born on Jan. 17, 1930, in Wilder, Idaho, and raised as a cowboy on ranches near Vale, Ore., and Ellensburg, Wash. Shortly after graduating from Ellensburg High School, he met and married his lifetime love, Phyllis Joann (Smith) Morrow, in 1950. The two made their home on his parents' Singing Hills Ranch near Ellensburg before bravely moving to Alaska in 1957, where Jack gave up his cowboy life to become a career road maintenance specialist, first for the Territory of Alaska's Bureau of Public Roads then for the State of Alaska's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. In 1986, Jack retired as a district director for the Department in Valdez, Alaska. Toward the end of his career Jack was recognized as the Department's preeminent snow avalanche expert, designing and implementing avalanche control programs for the state's highways and airports. His advice was also sought for control operations for the Alaska Railroad, as well as private ski resorts and even the trans-Alaska pipeline.

Phyllis died in 2000, and Jack moved, in 2005, to Bend, to live with his daughter, later with a grandson and finally with a son, before illness forced a move to Brookdale, where he resided for the last months of his life. Jack enjoyed hunting and fishing and absolutely loved horses. In Alaska, he found ample opportunity for hunting and fishing and in Bend, he renewed his passion for horses, acquiring and caring for several. His faith guided him throughout his life; he accepted Christ as a young boy and both he and Phyllis actively served in the churches they attended and in the communities they lived.

Jack was preceded in death by Phyllis; parents, John and Mildred; and brothers and spouses, Bill and Bernice and George (Dean) and Marilyn.

He is survived by his four children, Craig (Penny) of Middleton, Idaho, Chris (Sharon) of Bend, Melody (David) Spicer of Ellensburg, and Brian (Jennifer) of Roseburg, Ore.; nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Final arrangements are pending. Please visit the online registry for Jack at Niswonger-Reynolds.com.