Priscilla A. (Hanna) Morse

Newbury, MA - Priscilla A. (Hanna) Morse, 91, passed peacefully at Port Healthcare Center in Newburyport on February 24, 2022, following a brief period of declining health.

Born in Newburyport, March 13, 1930, Priscilla was the daughter of the late George and Elizabeth (Hewitt) Hanna.

She spent her early childhood in Marblehead and Bolton, Massachusetts, before returning to Newburyport in the 1940’s to attend Newburyport High School. Marriage to Charles W. “Pete” Morse, Jr. followed and they settled in Newbury, where she remained in the original house that Pete built until her passing. Pete predeceased her in 2016.

After her two children were settled in school, Priscilla resumed work on her advanced education at Salem State College, earning her B. S. in elementary education and later, her Master’s of Education degree.

Her first teaching assignment in the Newburyport School System was at the former Davenport School on Congress. Street, transferring upon its closing to the Belleville Elementary School (now the F.T. Bresnahan School) where she taught readiness, until her retirement in 1990.

During her teaching career she was twice recognized by the Newburyport School Committee for her commitment to the children of Newburyport. She was the recipient of the Edward G. Molin Award for Excellence in Education and in 1979 was designated a Master Teacher.

Priscilla’s family and friends remember her fondly as being refreshingly honest, gracious, and possessing an impeccable sense of style. A thoroughly modern woman who embodied “old school values” in her daily life, she was a class act in all respects. Judged by any standard, hers was a full and meaningful life, well-lived.

Priscilla is survived by her son, Charles W. Morse, III, and his wife Janice, of South Hampton, NH; her daughter, Bonita J. Morse, and her husband, Moss Quinlan, of Newbury; her granddaughter, Katie Morse Yeomans, and her husband, Rob Yeomans, and their sons, Jack and Cody Yeomans, of Boxford, MA; granddaughter Alysa Morse Iannuccillo, and her husband, Mark, and their sons, Jaxon and Cash of South Hampton, NH; and granddaughter Sarah Quinlan, and her husband, John Ridgley, of Littleton, CO, and their two sons, Peter and Philip. She also leaves behind her brother-in-law, Donald Morse, and his wife, Judith, of Grafton, NH.

At the request of the family there will be no calling hours. A private burial will be held at the convenience of the family. The Twomey, LeBlanc, & Conte Funeral Home 193 High St. Newburyport, MA 01950 is assisting Mrs. Morse’s family with her arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Priscilla’s memory online ajh.org or Checks can be made payable to Anna Jaques Hospital and should be sent to: Beth Israel Lahey Health Anna Jaques Hospital Gift Processing Office of Philanthropy 330 Brookline Ave (OV) Boston, MA 02215.

To offer online condolences please visit www.tlcfuneralhome.com. 

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