Frank Morrison
Frank Brenner Morrison Jr. died Jan. 8, 2006, in Renton, Wash. Ever the consummate attorney, he was en route home from taking a deposition in Canada when he collapsed at the Seattle airport. Complications from emergency surgery claimed his life. He will be remembered for his love of family, the state of Montana, the law and for his generous heart.
Frank was born Sept. 27, 1937, in the waning years of the Great Depression, the oldest of three children of Frank B. Morrison Sr. and Maxine Elizabeth Hepp Morrison. He was delivered in the same hospital delivery room as was his life-mate, Sharon.
He was nicknamed "Biff" after the popular University of Nebraska Cornhusker football coach, Biff Jones. The Morrison family lived in Stockville, Neb., until they moved to McCook when Biff was 3 years old.
Biff attended the McCook public schools in the idyllic 1950s, participating in all athletics, dancing to "rock 'n' roll," and garnering a spot in the top 10 of the graduating class. He met his soul mate, Sharon McDonald, in the sixth grade. The two became pals and then "steadies" through the course of the K-12 years.
In 1959, Biff graduated from the University of Nebraska, where he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and the Cornhusker track team.
He and Sharon married on June 28, 1959, in the summer between college and law school. Sharon taught school while Biff attended law classes at the University of Denver School of Law.
With the deaths of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. and the race riots and civil strife, Biff and Sharon decided to relocate to a rural mountain environment. In 1969, after a friend suggested that they consider the Flathead Valley of Montana, Biff and Sharon found Whitefish and fell in love at first sight. Within a few months, the four Morrisons left friends and family in Nebraska, engaged visionary developer Gary Tallman to build a house, hung an "Attorney" shingle in Whitefish, and began a new adventure in Montana.
Frank's natural love of politics was awakened when others encouraged him to become a candidate for the Montana Supreme Court. He was elected in 1980 and quickly became nationally recognized for his legal analysis and vision.
Frank was a visionary person of ideas, energy, generosity and passion. He loved and was devoted to his family, who cherished, respected and adored him. He loved Montana — its people, its mountains, its lakes and streams, its seasons and its beautiful lands.
He climbed, skied, hiked, fished and camped in its embrace. When he had been away from the state, he always breathed deeply when he returned, saying, "There just isn't anything else like this."
He loved theater and was instrumental in starting live theaters in Kalispell and Whitefish. He loved his friends and all those whom he intended to make his friends.
Frank is survived by his loving wife Sharon, of Whitefish; son John and daughter-in-law Cathy and granddaughters Allison and Amanda, of Helena; daughter Betsi and son-in-law Luke Walrath, of Whitefish; brother Jon Morrison and partner Sandy Juster, of Las Vegas; and sister and brother-in-law Jean and Dr. Ben Galloway, of Denver. Frank is also survived by nieces and nephews Cindy Brady, Katie Seawell, Jeanne Eschenfelde and Clay Morrison and their families.
Services were held Jan. 16, 2006, at the United Methodist Church in Whitefish.
Memorials may be made to Alpine Theatre Project, P.O. Box 1959, Whitefish MT 59937, or any charity of choice.