Marirose Morris

Marirose (Matthews) Morris, 78, was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend. She passed away from complications of pneumonia on October 30, in San Antonio, Texas, surrounded by family.
Proudly an Oglala Lakota Sioux, she was born in Pine Ridge, S.D. on April 27, 1944. She graduated from Holy Rosary High School, earning a scholarship to Seattle University. For her room and board, Mari nannied for the McEvoy family and their eight children.
While attending Seattle U., she met her husband, Robert (Bob) L. Morris. They married on December 19, 1966 and celebrated 56 years together this fall. They both graduated in 1968 with degrees in business.
While in Seattle, she loved the city life, always ready to discover corner cafes, art shows, cultural events, and more. Her children fondly remember walking with mom across the city in search of the next adventure. In Seattle, she was active in the American Indian Women's Service League, serving as Secretary and a chairperson.
In 1970, she served on the National Endowment for the Humanities, awarding grants for top-rated proposals for cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars.
The Morris family moved to Billings, Montana, in 1972, where Mari established three Native arts and craft shops, serving as outlets for Natives from the seven Montana reservations to market their work and earn income.
After three years in Montana, the family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they resided for 45 years. Marirose loved living in Cheyenne, where she became heavily involved in her church and community. Cheyenne was special to her as she had many fond memories of travelling from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with her grandmother, Rose Nelson Ecoffey, "Princess Blue Waters," who escorted the Lakota to Cheyenne Frontier Days for over 40 years and was inducted into the 1985 CFD Hall of Fame. Marirose had great admiration for her grandmother and all that she accomplished in her lifetime.
In 1979, Marirose and Bob purchased an oil distribution company, where they worked together until 1994, when she was hired by the Wyoming Arts Council as an Arts Access Specialist. She was responsible for ensuring that people in small communities around Wyoming had access to dance, poetry, music, and other art forms. She awarded grants to bring art to the people. She loved her job. It provided her with an opportunity to meet almost all the mayors, city clerks, librarians, state legislators, Wyoming governors, and many national leaders during her service.
Never one to stop learning, in May of 1994, Marirose earned a bachelor's degree from Regis University, Denver, in Health Information Management.
Mari remained very involved in her community throughout her life, serving as an ADA specialist; scout leader; Census 2000 task force representative; U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; University of Wyoming Board of Visitors College of Arts & Sciences; Native American Heritage Day committee; S.E. Wyoming Intertribal Pow Wow Association, Inc; Wyoming Multicultural Health Committee; Kennedy Center Arts & Disability awards committee; and the Wyoming Community Foundation, as well as others. She was a proud graduate of Leadership Wyoming class of 2010. She enjoyed her membership in the Pioneer Club and the Cowgirls of the West.
While in Cheyenne, Marirose attended Holy Trinity Catholic Church and served as a greeter and as a member of the Council of Catholic Women.
In 2012, after 19 years with the State, she took retirement. Later that year she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Chemotherapy put the disease in remission, but six months later the disease returned, eventually leading to a stem cell transplant.
In 2021, Bob and Marirose retired to San Antonio, TX, for health reasons.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Evelyn (Inie) Matthews and Gilbert L. Matthews; sister Michelle; brother Gilbert Jr. "Butch," and brother Daryl W. Matthews. Marirose is survived by her sister Darlyne, brother Robert, husband Bob, their five children: Daniel (Victoria), Patrick (Laura), Jennifer (Clay) Young, Michael (Stephanie), Sharon (Brett) Montgomery, and ten grandchildren: Sara, Braden, Jacob, Rachel, Eric, Joe, Isaac, Barak, Eli, and Emma.
Cremation has taken place and a combined Funeral Liturgy for Bob (3/20/1941-3/21/2023) and Marirose will be held on Friday, May 19, 2023, 10:30 a.m., at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Cheyenne. Interment of their cremains will take place at noon at the Cheyenne National Cemetery, 8611 Hildreth Road, west of Cheyenne. Memorial gifts can be made to the Cowgirls of the West, P.O. Box 525, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 82003.
The family will host a reception with a light lunch immediately following the interment, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 507 W. 28th St., in Cheyenne. Friends and family are invited to a Sparkle and Shine party that evening, 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall. The family respectively requests no gifts.