Elizabeth “Libby” Thompson Morrison, a longtime member of the Kenyon community, died on Tuesday, August 8, 2017. She was 63 and a resident of Howard, Ohio.
An employee of the College’s food services for 33 years, Libby offered good humor and warmth to generations of Kenyon students and her fellow employees.
Fred Linger, manager of business services at the College, recalled, “Libby was one of the first staff members a guest would encounter in the servery. Often on the move, she would make direct eye contact to say hello or get a sense whether directions were needed. Helpful, engaging and full of energy, she was as close to the face of Peirce Hall dining as any one person could be. We were delighted to have her back in late spring from a significant health battle, only to be grieved to lose her. She will be long remembered.”
“Libby was such a dedicated employee that she never missed work,” said Theresa Riley Ewers, AVI office manager. “She always wanted to be here for the students. Over the years, she became close with many of them. She always had her favorites — football players — and many would keep in touch with her even after graduating.
“Always thoughtful, Libby would send students and co-workers cards offering congratulations or sympathy, birthday or Christmas greetings, even just to let them know she was thinking of them. I’m pretty sure I received more than one card from her thanking me for sending her a thank-you card. Libby will be remembered and missed by many.”
One of “Libby’s students” was Amy Strieter ’07. “Libby and Helen used to make my sandwiches several times a week down in the pub, and they would always greet me by name,” Strieter said.“She was one of the people I was glad to see again when I was back on campus. Always sweet and always punchy.”
“Libby was a rugged-voiced woman who reminded me of a cowgirl in an old black-and-white Western,” remembered Andrea Bergstrom, former catering director with the College’s AVI Foodsystems. “We would listen to story after story about her farm and the daily escapades of her horses. With the glow on her face and the twinkle in her eye when discussing her horses, it was like listening to a proud mother. I’m so deeply sad to learn of her passing.”
Damon Remillard, a former manager for AVI at Kenyon, remarked, “Libby was always so good to the students, to her coworkers and to me. May she ride with her horses forever.”
Libby was a member of the Knox County Humane Society and the Quarter Horse Union. Her hobbies were working with her horses, making wreaths and other crafts, gardening and baking. Her greatest joy, however, came from spending time with her grandchildren.
Libby is survived by her husband of more than 44 years, Rick Morrison, whom she married on June 8, 1973; a daughter, Carrie Morrison; a son, Donald Morrison; two grandchildren, Daniel Morrison and Jaylen Pruitt; a brother, Chester Earl Thompson; and a sister, Juanita Addlesperger, collection services specialist in the Kenyon libraries, who recently celebrated her 50th year of service to the College.
Libby’s family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, August 11, 2017, at the Flowers-Snyder Funeral Home, 619 East High Street, Mount Vernon. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Knox County, 17700 Coshocton Avenue, Mount Vernon, Ohio, 43050, or to the Knox County Humane Society, 400 Columbus Road, Mount Vernon, Ohio, 43050.
Expressions of sympathy can be shared with the family by visiting www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.