Memorial

David Wayne Morse went to take care of all the kitties that have left before him. He passed away peacefully with his family surrounding him on Thursday May 23rd, 2024. He was 57 years old.

David was born on Thursday November 9th, 1966 in Burlington, Iowa. He was the youngest of the 3 brothers, Dell and Bob and also had a big sister, Karen and a little sister Chris.

It was a rambunctious house growing up with 2 rough and tumble brothers, but David had more of a softer side. He wasn’t into playing sports, Sports were more fun to watch. But, board games like Flat Top, and computers, gaming systems were a huge draw for him and his friends.

When David started his 1st job at Hardee’s, he didn’t know he’d make some great friend and create memories that we would still laugh about to this day! He finally earned the “right to quit Hardee’s” when he moved to Iowa City to become a Hawkeye. David graduated from the University of Iowa in 1994 with a Bachelors Degree in Economics. David was a proud Hawkeye Alumni and even created a “Hawkeye Room” in his home in tribute to his Alma Mater.

With his enthusiasm for gaming, David’s 1st job after college with GameStop was right up his alley. Being in Management before, it was a natural fit which eventually took him to Champaign IL. David learned pretty quickly though, that being away from family was tough. When he learned his little sister was expecting, he relocated back to Iowa and started a new career at Windstream, where he continued to work up to this day.

David loved a lot but never got married. In his words, girls scared him! But he wanted to be the best Uncle David he could be. Growing up, he so enjoyed his nephews, Tyler and Mike. And much to the dismay of his sister, Karen, teaching Tyler “where’s the beef?” He had a special spot for his niece Nicole and would call her the daughter he never had. Whenever he would come over, David would bring gummie bears to eat after getting hugs and kisses, because girls have cooties. As our family got bigger, David had more nieces and nephews to tease and love. After Tyler and Mike, along came Laura and Robert. Then Toni, Elaine, Cari and Matthew joined our family as well.

David needed more meaning in his life and on a chance encounter, he found the biggest love in his life, volunteering for S.A.I.N.T. cat rescue. David became a fixture at S.A.I.N.T. Always volunteering for fundraising events, Saturday open houses and being a part of the Sunday cleaning crew and cleaning over 60 cat boxes! His love gave him his late buddy Arthur and current buddy Hobbes.

After the Sunday cleanings, David was a regular at his little sister’s home for dinner, usually a pot roast, and Hawkeye football with his brother-in-law Todd. Not to mention Game Night every Friday while Nicole was growing up. He love playing Mario Kart or Mario Party, then sticking around for Monkey Ball after Nicole was tucked in. This, in David’s words, was his sanctuary and family.

David’s laughter and humor will be missed. He would say the worst jokes and puns, then would follow up with “That was funnier in my head!”  Bloom County and Calvin and Hobbes was his kind of humor along with Bill Engvall and Gabriel Iglesias. David was also a big history buff and would read and share books on WWII. He was a firm believer in knowing your history and an Ally to all. You could have the deepest conversation with him and then he’d spin it into something hilarious.  

David will be terribly missed by his Dad and Stepmom, Delbert and JudyAnn Morse, siblings Karen, Dell (Carilyn), Chris (Todd) and many nieces and nephews. Hobbs will miss his best buddy and servant as well.
David is preceded in death by his Mom, Joan Reinhardt and brother Bob Morse.

THANK YOU to all of David's friends, co-workers and volunteers for their kind words and support. I don't think he knew how special he truly was. He will be greatly missed by many….

A potluck celebration for David is being planned so we can gather, laugh and share memories. All are welcome and more information will available at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, David would prefer to have donations be sent to S.A.I.N.T. cat rescue.