Tom Morrison, age 68, Rapid City, died peacefully at home with his wife on June 7, 2015.

Thomas Wesley Morrison was born to Craig and Florence (Mitchell) Morrison on April 25, 1947, in Fairfield, IA. He lived in Keosauqua, IA, until his family moved to Cresco, IA, in 1959. He attended Crestwood High School where he lettered in three sports and was a member of the All State Band as a saxophonist. He graduated in 1965 and attended North Iowa Area Community College and the University of Iowa. In 1968, Tom joined the Army National Guard and served until 1974.

During college, he worked at JC Penney and fell in love with the retail business. In July of 1968, he began his management career with JC Penney in Ironwood, MI. Tom married his high school sweetheart, Margaret (Margie) Johnson on September 14, 1968. His career took them from Ironwood to LaCrosse, WI, where their daughter, Angela, was born, then to Brainerd, MN, where their son, Max, was born. They moved to Plymouth, MN, in 1977 and Tom spent almost 20 years of his career in the Minneapolis area, holding management positions in 3 stores and at the District Office. He and Margie moved to Butte, MT, in 1996 and to Rapid City, SD, in 1998 where Tom was the Store Manager until his retirement in 2007. He was very proud to have earned the Chairman's Award in 2003.

Tom was very civic-minded. He was active in the Jaycees in Ironwood, coached youth football, basketball and baseball in Minnesota, and served on several boards while living in Rapid City. He was a board member of the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce where he was Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee, was a board member at Arrowhead Country Club and was instrumental in coordinating their remodel project. He was also on the Pro-Am committee and served as Co-Chairman. He was an Honorary Commander at Ellsworth Air Force Base and was on the committee for the Black Hills Works Golf Tournament. He served on the South Dakota Retailers Board for 8 years and especially enjoyed being the Chairman in 2007. He served on the Rapid City Regional Hospital Board of Directors and the Regional Health Board of Trustees. At the time that he had to resign for health reasons in April 2014, he was serving as the Chairman of the Regional Health Board of Trustees.

He loved children and truly enjoyed being a part of Junior Achievement, being a celebrity reader at an elementary school and playing Santa at the Children's Home.

Tom was instrumental in bringing the ALS Association to Western South Dakota and was the top fund raiser for Rapid City's first Walk to Defeat ALS held in June of 2014. He was happy to have been a part of raising money to allow others with ALS the opportunity to receive help from the Association. In his last act of charity, he donated his body to ALS research being conducted at the Boston VA.

Tom often stated that he loved people. He enjoyed helping customers and helping his staff learn more about the retail business. He was a great encourager and especially liked helping develop athletic skills in the kids that he coached both formally and informally. He was very proud of his children, his nieces and nephews and especially his grandchildren who could always bring a smile to his face. He was very loyal to his friends. His fishing buddies and his Burgundy buddies were considered to be his brothers. Golf was his great love and the friends that he met on the golf course were the best.

Tom was passionate about his job, his family, his friends and his God. When diagnosed with ALS, his goal was to live as long and as normally as possible. He was not ready to leave this world but when he knew that he must, he said," It's ok. I'm going to Paradise." God's speed, Tom! We love you all the way up to the sky! Tom asked that any memorials be directed to the Rapid City Walk to Defeat ALS in Tom's name in care of Chelsea Cronin, P.O. Box 2223, Sioux Falls, SD 57101.

Tom was preceded in death by his grandparents and his in-laws, Allen and Patricia Johnson.

He is survived by his wife, Margie of Rapid City, SD; his daughter, Angela (Dave) Mullin of Boston, MA; his son, Max (Kimberly) of San Diego, CA; his grandchildren, Alexander and Caroline Mullin and Maya and Deacon Morrison; his parents, Craig and Flossie Morrison of Cresco, IA; his sisters, Susan (Steve) Norland of Canton, CT, Trish (Rodney) Culbert of Watertown, MN, and Mary Morrison of Iowa City, IA; his brothers-in-law, Barry Johnson of Cresco, IA, and Scott (Lorie) Johnson of Kendallville, IA; and his sister-in-law, Gail (Bob) Beermann of Indianola, IA; as well as numerous beloved nieces and nephews.

A time of remembrance will be 4:00-7:00 pm, Thursday June 25, 2015 at the Arrowhead Country Club in Rapid City.

Memorial services will be 10:00 am Friday June 26, 2015 at First United Methodist Church, 629 Kansas City St, Rapid City, with Pastor Greg Kroger Officiating.

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