Lela Robinson Morris passed away on Monday, July 22, 2024 after a long, full life dedicated to her family and community. Born in Priceville in 1927 to Etta Belle and Blount Robinson, Lela was the youngest of three girls. Following her college education at Judson and Birmingham-Southern, she became one of the first certified medical assistants in the state. She was married to James Howell Morris from 1950 until his death in 1998, and lived in Decatur until 2010, when she moved to be closer to her family in Birmingham.
A compassionate educator and caretaker, Lela volunteered at Central United Methodist Church and as a Girl Scout leader, braving the wilds of forests and Sunday school classrooms alike in her efforts to nurture children. In the 1970s she played a key role in developing Central UMC’s Weekday School, a beloved haven where she taught young children until her late 60s. Longtime friend and mentee Carol Puckett writes, “There was no one better than Lela at what she did. She had an eye for discerning the best way to guide children to become confident, observant and loving as they moved through the world.”
In her later years, Lela often expressed amazement at the sheer breadth of everything she had experienced, from her childhood on a farm to witnessing space travel to the mixed blessings of 21st-century technology. She was a legendary worrier, the health and wellbeing of her family always at the front of her mind. She loved to travel, to dance, to talk to old friends. Most of all, she loved us.
Lela is survived by her daughter, Rebecca Morris Wadley; her grandchildren Robert Howell Beddingfield (Brooke Callahan), Mark Edward Wadley (Madison Coan) and Madeline Morris Wadley; and her great-grandson Asher Highland Beddingfield.
A family graveside service was held at the Hartselle City Cemetery on Thursday, July 25.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alabama School of Fine Arts (asfaschool.org/support or via mail to ASFA Foundation, 1800 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35203) or Central United Methodist Church (616 Jackson St SE, Decatur, AL 35601).
