Theron Edward "Ed" Morrison

Theron Edward “Ed” Morrison, Sr passed away at the age of 80 on July 17, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He will be remembered as a faithful servant of God and a much beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend.

Ed was born on August 28, 1944 in Fayette, AL. The youngest of six children, Ed was easy-going and fun to be around. He was a hard worker from early in his life, including on the farm his family sharecropped and later at the service station his parents operated. As a young teenager, Ed and his brother Joel helped clean the local grammar school where his grandfather was the janitor. Ed and Joel, the two youngest siblings who were less than a year apart, and their cousin James Raley Morrison were particularly close growing up and got into a lot of fun trouble together.

Ed met his future wife, Elizabeth Miles, at a dance in Winfield, AL. Ed would recount that he initially lied about his age because he didn’t want her to know he was two years younger than she was. They married on October 17, 1964 and lived in Atlanta, GA. He and Elizabeth joined Utoy Primitive Baptist Church in November 1965. Their faith served as the foundation of their life together.

During their time in Atlanta, Ed worked at a creosote plant and later took computer programming classes, which he saw advertised on a matchbook cover. He was drafted into the Army in 1966 and sent to San Francisco, CA to do computer programming. When his number came up to be deployed to Vietnam, his supervisor requested a deferment due to his valuable programming skills. When his number came up again, he received a rare second deferment because Elizabeth had just turned 7 months pregnant. Their first child, Hope, was born in 1967. Following the conclusion of his service, they returned to Atlanta, where he enrolled in Georgia State University, becoming the first person in his family to go to college. They moved to Athens, GA where their daughter Joy was born in 1969. He worked in and became the manager of the University of Georgia’s Computer Programming Department while earning a bachelors degree in accounting. He spent his career managing information systems departments for Bendix, Ingram, and Bridgestone. In 1976, they moved to Jackson, TN, where they joined Robins Street Primitive Baptist Church. Their son Theron was born in 1977. They moved to Murfreesboro, TN in 1987 and joined Cool Springs Primitive Baptist Church in Franklin. Following his retirement in 2005, he and Elizabeth began an antiques and collectibles business as a hobby. Ed particularly enjoyed auctions and sometimes tested Elizabeth’s patience with his enthusiasm for trying to outbid people for items he liked. They also loved traveling with some of their dear church friends.

Ed was often serious and quiet but had a dry and sometimes silly sense of humor and could be very funny and fun to be with. He was the dad who would take you on the rollercoaster and the granddad who would race go-karts with you and probably have more fun than you did. He was competitive and made you earn the win, whether it was Rook or pool or putt-putt, but kept you laughing with his good-natured trash talk. He was also disciplined and very organized. He was methodical about lining up his shoes in the closet and neatly putting work clothes away when he came home at the end of the day. He organized years of paperwork for their accounts and assets into binders to make it easy for their children to figure out their estate.

Ed was a faithful Primitive Baptist, serving as a deacon and a song leader for many years. A diligent student of the Bible, he read many articles and books over the years to expand his understanding of his faith; attended preacher meetings just to listen and learn; and enjoyed theological discussions with Primitive Baptist preachers and church members. His closest friends in adulthood were other church members, who he truly considered to be his brothers and sisters.

Despite chronic pain and physical and cognitive decline in his last few years due to Parkinson’s, Ed never complained. He displayed a rare stoicism and acceptance of his condition, trusting God to carry him through.

While he will be greatly missed, he leaves behind a wealth of wonderful memories and a legacy of unwavering service to his church and his family. Ed is preceded in death by his wife Elizabeth Miles Morrison; parents Mary Lee Raley Morrison and George Floyd Morrison; and siblings Emma Jean Morrison Birk, William George Morrison, and James Clifton Morrison. He is survived by children Elizabeth Hope Morrison (Michael Crowe), Cara Joy Morrison Davis (Tim), and Theron Edward Morrison Jr; grandchildren Amelia Elizabeth Crowe, Natalie Barbara Crowe, Sarah Marie Crowe, Logan Edward James Davis, and Vivienne Hope Morrison Davis; and brothers Ronald Grey Morrison and Joel Clanton Morrison.

Funeral service will be held 12:00PM Saturday, July 26, 2025 with visitation one hour prior to the service at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Williamson Memorial Gardens.

Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation or the charity of your choice. Ed would have been deeply touched by any donation in his honor to help those in need.