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Morris, who came to Paynesville in 1978 and retired in 1996, worked for the postal service for 34 years. Born in St. Cloud and graduating from St. Cloud Cathedral High School, Morris served four years in the Air Force before starting to work at the St. Cloud Post Office in the summer of 1962.

He worked in St. Cloud until 1975 when he was appointed as manager of postal operations in Willmar. He was appointed as postmaster in Paynesville in 1978, a position he kept until he retired in 1996.

When Morris started with the postal service, they did not use zip codes. Instead postal employees had to memorize mail sorting codes. By the time he retired, they used nine-digit zip codes.

Morris, who supervised 12 employees in the post office when he retired, was always concerned for the employees during snowstorms. City carriers would have to brave the elements during their routes, and Morris thought rural drivers were "sitting ducks" for other traffic when making deliveries in bad weather.

Morris, 63, was active in the American Legion Post #271, Boy Scouts, Knights of Columbus, the Paynesville Lions Club, Paynesville United Charities, and St. Louis Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen, and three sons.

His funeral is Wednesday, May 21, at 11 a.m. at St. Louis Catholic Church. Full obituary.