Ms. Chestine Morris

Obituary Chestine “Sister” Morris, born August 1, 1927, in Way, Mississippi to the union of Walter and Earline Sanders, the third child of eleven children. She departed this life on September 24, 2021, at the mature age of 94. She was a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great great grandmother. When her mother presented her to her two older siblings as a newborn she told them “this is your baby sister.” The two immediately began calling her “Sister” thus, how she acquired the nickname. Her two older siblings Earnestine and Booker T. set the precedence for the rest of her siblings Jimmy, Minnie Mae, Pearline, Walter, Vernice, Juanita, Vergeline, and Hosie Sanders to follow. She married James Harris and later gave birth to their daughter, Climetine, however, their union did not last. She divorced James and left the harsh south, its cotton fields and Jim Crow laws and took part in the Great Migration. Moving to Chicago she joined other relatives in search of a better life to raise their families. She would also live in Detroit and Cleveland before settling in Kansas City, Missouri. It was in Kansas City that she met her second husband, Eddie Morris, and to their union were born Sylvia, Cheryl, and Dale. From picking cotton to planting gardens, sewing, cooking, cleaning and taking care of her siblings and family members, her hands were always busy. And while moving from the south to the north was different, the toil and harsh realities were still ever present. Laundry work, domestic work, caregiving work, it was all hard work with no modern day conveniences. “I made 10 cents an hour working at Faultless Laundry,” our mother would say, often recalling employers and situations throughout her life that required steadfastness, courage, and resilience to make it through. She passed on wisdom and valuable skills to her children and grandchildren. She was still teaching us, albeit from her bedside, and she was still learning. Out of all the lessons taught and stories shared by our mother, the most valuable one was that of faith. In conversations over the news and what happened, she would often say “Ain’t nothin’ gon’ change until Christ comes.” That was her way of telling us to hold on to our faith in Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. “Keep on livin’” was another one of her sayings which was code for “You’ll see.” She was a believer and despite her failing health, she was never moved. I’m sure if we could talk to her today, we’d hear her say “Keep going, stay in the fight, He’s coming again.” We’ll have to read the “good book” to find out how it all ends and begins, but I’m so glad we had a mother that taught us how to pray. She leaves behind her oldest daughter and son-in-law, Climetine and Frank Clayborn of Jacksonville, NC, second daughter, Sylvia Parker, third daughter, Cheryl Blackwell, and youngest daughter, Dale Hill of Kansas City, MO; grandsons, Walter Allen, Thomas, Joshua, and Kyle; granddaughters, Kendra and Gabrielle; great grandsons, Isaiah, Micah, and Quentin; great granddaughter, Emma; great great granddaughters, Kimmora, Veah, and Nova; and her affectionately called “adopted” Harris sons and daughters. Her parents and siblings have all passed, except for the youngest three, Juanita Hines of Chicago, IL, Hosie Sanders of Jackson, MS, and Vergeline Daniels of Chicago, IL. And lastly, she leaves a host of nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends. Funeral Service will be held on Friday, October1, 2021, 2:00pm at Lawrence A. Jones & Sons Funeral Chapel. Interment forest Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1pm-2pm at the chapel. Service conducted by Lawrence A. Jones & Sons Funeral Chapel. Condolences may be shared on our website. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ms. Chestine Morris, please visit our floral store. Read More

Ms. Chestine Morris

August 1, 1927 - September 24, 2021