James Courtney Morris

James (Jimmie) Courtney Morris was born on March 11, 1920 and departed this life on February 8, 2019. He was one of 6 sons and 2 daughters of Berta Mae Robinson and Charles Thomas Morris of Hopewell. He is survived by his son James Courtney Morris Jr. of Richmond.
He attended school in Hopewell and graduated from Hopewell High school in 1939.
Like kids of his generation, his early life was a struggle. His spent his early years helping his family sometimes moving from place to place and being involved in family businesses and different occupations ranging from furniture sales to real estate.
He joined the navy during WWII and served as an electrician’s mate on the destroyer USS Carmick . His ship was present off the coast of Normandy during the lead up to the invasion and he continued to serve until being honorably discharged in 1945.
After coming home from the Navy, he eventually went to work for the Virginia Department of Highways where he worked his way up to being a Right of Way Appraiser and continued there until his retirement in 1986.
He married my mother, Ruby Doris Futch, in 1943 and lived with her for almost 50 years until she passed in 1992. They enjoyed a happy life in Hopewell during that time. As most people who knew him were aware he was a great singer for most of his life. He sang with his brother’s band in his early days and then for many years in the church choir at First United Methodist Church and with various quartets and the Tobaccoland and Virginians choruses associated with the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America.
He spent the years following my mother’s death living in New Bern, N.C. where he spent much of his time doing the other thing he was talented at which was painting. He loved to find books of pictures with works of the old masters and paint his own version of their works. He eventually returned to Richmond in 2015 to enter assisted living when he could not live on his own any longer.
This is the summary of his life but not an insight into the kind of man he was and what his life meant to other people. He was a good man who held no ill will towards anyone. He was a good husband and father. He never met a stranger and he could put you at ease right away with a ready smile and a friendly manner. He loved singing and the fellowship it brought both with members of the church choir and the men who sang with him in the chorus. He was a good friend to anyone who wanted him as one and someone who could be counted on when needed, and he never complained.
I would like to extend my thanks to the staff at Brookdale West End Assisted Living Facility where he spent the last years of his life. He was well cared for there and liked by all in the community. He continued his painting there and eventually gave away most of his artwork to the people he knew who lived there with him. He will be missed by all everyone who knew him.
A memorial service will be held in his memory at The First United Methodist Church, Hopewell, VA, on Monday February 18th at 11:00 a.m. followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall. A committal service will be held at 1:30 p.m. at Appomattox Cemetery where he will be buried with my mother Ruby Morris.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice.