Muriel Morley

On March 29, 2019, Muriel Elaine McAvoy Morley joined the Great Cloud Of Witnesses in the sky after a long battle with a rare brain disease.

Muriel was born in Denver, Colorado on July 17, 1942, to parents Felix and Louise and her big brother, Earl. Although she grew up in the city, she spent many days with her beloved grandparents on their farm in Greeley.

Between her junior and senior of high school, Muriel married Delmar Carney and in June of 1961, they welcomed their daughter Kimberly. Muriel’s husband, Del, was tragically killed by a drunk driver when Kimberly was only nine weeks old. At the age of 19, Muriel was a newlywed, new mother and a widow.

After several months of mourning, Muriel enrolled in college at Denver University and began taking classes. It was during this time that Muriel’s brother Earl, set her up with a friend he had gone to school with, Stephen Morley.

Stephen and Muriel fell in love and married in 1964, and in February of 1965 they welcomed their son Stephen Jr. They purchased a brand new home in Northglenn Colorado, that same year and in 1973, Stephen and Muriel rounded out their family by adopting their daughter Stephanie.

In 1978, Stephen and Muriel moved their family from the Denver area, over the mountains to Grand Junction. Muriel enrolled at Western State College and graduated suma cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in education in 1981 and went on to get her Master’s degree in 1984. Muriel began her 22-year teaching career in 1981and taught at Shelledy Elementary School and Clifton Elementary school, before retiring in 2001. The move was hard on Stephen and Muriel and they divorced in 1988, but God led them back to each other and they remarried on July 20, 1997.

Muriel was an artist, painting in oils, water colors and used many other mediums, including buttons, stamps and postage marks off of old envelops. She was a writer and has written several children’s stories, short stories and two novels. Her novel, A Cottage In Akin was published in 2013.

Also in 2013, Muriel was diagnosed with an extremely rare brain disease called Corticolbasal Degeneration and by April of 2016, Muriel was confined to a wheelchair and living in a local nursing home until she was transferred to HopeWest, where she died eleven days later.

Muriel was known for her quick wit, compassionate spirit and love of birds and nature. She was a devoted wife, loving mother and grandmother, a loyal friend, a disciple of Christ and a prayer warrior. She was beautiful inside and out and made everyone who knew her, feel loved and oh, that gorgeous smile could light up a room.

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Muriel is survived by her devoted husband Stephen, and daughters Kimberly (Grand Junction, CO) and Stephanie (Mark Haverstock), granddaughters Kathleen Elaine Haverstock and Sarah Rose Haversock (Magnolia, OH), her grandsons Zachary Robertson (Warren, PA), Tyler Kinney (Allegany, NY) and Trevor Kinney (Allegany, NY), four great-grandchildren - Charlotte Rose Curlutu (Magnolia, OH), Everleigh Louise Kinney, Elias David Mitchell Kinney and Charlotte Jean Kinney (Allegany, NY), brother Earl (Denver, CO), nephews Nick McAvoy (Denver, CO) and Shawn McAvoy (Denver, CO), great-nephew Brian McAvoy (Denver, CO) and several aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceeded in death by her son Steve Jr. who passed away from complications of Type 1 Diabetes on July 2, 2018.

A celebration of life service will be officiated by Pastor Kirk Yamaguchi at Canyon View Vineyard Church in Grand Junction, CO on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. with a reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall at the church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider this special donation - a story that Muriel’s daughter, Kim, wrote about her was just published in the new Mother’s Day edition of Chicken Soup For The Soul, entitled Mom Knows Best. You can own a signed copy of the book, for a donation of $20 or more. All proceeds to benefit HopeWest, the amazing hospice   facility that gave Muriel such compassionate care at the end.

To find out more about Muriel, view never-before-seen photos and read loving stories and tributes, visit her memorial website here: www.GrannyMur.com. “Granny Mur” is an affectionate nickname Muriel was awarded by her grandson, Zach, and all of her grandchildren and great-granchildren are carrying on that nickname as well.

Special thanks to the many kind and caring nurses and nurse’s aides who cared for Muriel during her time at the nursing home, to the many friends and fellow church-goers who not only visited Muriel, but checked in on the family and to the amazing staff at hospice, who went above and beyond to care for Muriel. We love you all - thank you.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 NIV