- Date Of Birth: August 17, 1937
- Date Of Death: June 27, 2015
- State: Arizona
When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet. This is the feeling of the Morley Favine family though sorrowful, are grateful for the husband, father and grandfather he was.
A faithful friend is something beyond price, there is no measuring his worth. Ecclesiasticus 6:15. To all you friends of a lifetime, we thank you for the wonderfully kind words of so many letters and cards, plus messages on the Internet. Morley was a humble man and would never have believed how HE was loved. You have all helped the family through this very difficult time.
He was born on August 17th, 1937 in High Prairie,AB Canada. Morley was a one of a kind individual who brought laughter and joy to all that knew him. His interests ranged from history to hockey and from teaching to love of animals and nature. His primary interest was his family and his secondary interest was travel.
From the day Shelly his first daughter was born, to the day he died he exuded his love for her, his second daughter, Stevie and his 4 grandchildren, Ty, Karli, Kenton and Jack. He was warm and comforting, wise and patient, always generous with his unconditional love for all of them and his wife, Maxine.
Morley’s love of travel was never satiated. He was an independent traveler who needed only his wife by his side and his Lonely Planet bible in his backpack. His travels took him from India to South Africa, to Australia and New Zealand and to every country in South America. He was to China 3 times, to Russia, and the Balkans, to most of Europe, Israel, Palestine, Jordan and the casbahs of morocco.
But he never forgot his roots. For example he was so thrilled when he met a man from Grande Prairie while on an overnight stay on the Serengeti plains in Africa. His passion for travel fed his thirst for knowledge of history where in Turkey he wondered at the ruins of Ephesus and that of Mary’s house, his favorite saint. The last few weeks of his life were spent on mind trips reliving these travels. He had the ability to visualize himself back in time wherever he was and to relive the history of an area or era.
Education and his love of learning became his life work. Morley received most of his elementary and high school education in High Prairie, AB when living with his grandparents Jessie and Phillip Dufresne although he did attend schools in Fairview, AB, Washington state and California while living with his mother. He attended universities in California, Washington, and Mississippi, getting a BA in psychology and in education. After teaching for several years, he and a couple colleagues through a combined effort received their MA in computer education. He taught elementary students in the Monroe district of Washington. For several years he taught driver education in the high school summers as well as before and after school.
Sports played a big part in his daily reading and conversations. Hockey was a favorite having the Canadian background and having played some as a kid and again in Washington in an old man’s league. He hosted an annual NHL playoff night for his Seattle and Monroe friends. In his his final months he had a nostalgic conversation with our Canadian born parish priest about the Toronto Maple Leafs, both coaches and players of the 50’s! He seldom watched any sports, but could talk to anyone about THEIR favorites.
Morley passed on June 27th, 2015 after suffering the pain of prostate bone cancer. The light of our life in our family has gone out and life as we knew it changed forever. We are fortunate to be left with our memories of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend forever.
