Josiah "Si" Burton Morrill

Need plumbing help? A lovely watercolor painting? A Shakespearean soliloquy or sonnet recited? Did you forget the order of the US Presidents or which treaty was signed where? Need help with a crossword puzzle? Window treatments made with precision? Want to travel on an adventure you never thought you’d take? Sail out the mouth of the Merrimack as the tide is turning? Need to learn how to do a headstand? Eat a home cooked meal worthy of a Michelin star? Sip a perfect martini (gin, obviously) as the sun dips below the yardarm? Mediate a dicey relationship? Need to pull off a prank? Wake up a bunch of high schoolers with Reveille? Or just laugh, loud and full knowing you are loved beyond measure? Si Morrill was all of this and more. What a blessing to be in his wake.

Born in Trenton, NJ on June 18, 1934, to Elizabeth Middleton and Leigh Whitney Morrill, Si was pre-deceased by brother Leigh Whitney and survived by sister Elizabeth (Betsy) Brunner (Mike). His childhood home in Pennington, NJ also included his dear cousins John and Mary Middleton. A proud alumnus of Penn State, Si lived a full life of service, in the US Navy, as a town selectman, a mediator, a Rotarian, a lector at his parish, and more. He filled our lives with music playing the bugle, trumpet, and cello and was often quoting poetry as he set sail on the Four Belles. He had an ability to love that made each of us feel important. He encouraged in us all a sense of humor, inquisitiveness about the world, and service to others.

The love of his life Ann (Coddaire) misses him already. Comforting her are their four daughters, their spouses, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter: Elizabeth and Mark Bowen of Hampton, NH (Emily Bowen, Hannah, Ben and Madeleine Fraser), Mary and Ted Shannon of Topsfield (Josiah, William and Eliza), Sarah Morrill and Matthew Murphy of Salem (Maeve and Owen), Jennifer and Paul Buckley of Amesbury (Lillian and Jessica). Si also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, and beloved sisters and brothers in-law. We are grateful to all those who cared for Si in his final days, especially Mena, Claucio, and the staff at Anna Jaques Hospital. May we each love one another as deeply as he did us and live lives as full as his has been.

Family and friends are invited to Si’s Funeral Mass at 10:15 AM on Friday October 27, 2023 at Immaculate Conception Church in Newburyport. Burial will be at a later date. The Twomey, LeBlanc, & Conte Funeral Home 193 High St. Newburyport, MA 01950 is assisting Mr. Morrill’s family with his arrangements.

If you’d like to honor Si, in lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Anna Jaques Hospital, Help In Home or The Resolution Center.

To offer online condolences please visit www.tlcfuneralhome.com

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