Robert Morrison

Robert Edward Morrison was born on March 11, 1948, in Bellingham, WA and passed away at age 75 on October 28, 2023, surrounded by those very close to him. Robert is buried at Bayview Cemetery next to his father, Robert, and sister, Nancy.

My “Uncle Ted” as I called him was an incredibly fascinating man. He was a proud Alger country boy who loved nature, hunting, chopping wood, making a fire, camping, and all things that are a part of that lifestyle.
One interesting dichotomy in his life was that while he was a country boy, he had great appreciation for upscale fashion and found himself a top selling shoe salesman at Nordstrom for most of his career. Robert always had the coolest shoes for any occasion. While other people may have worn New Balance, he was wearing Pumas.

He also had a deep passion for gardening. He took great pride in growing such fragile things and taking care of them. His sensitive side was one of his best qualities. While he would hate me putting it this way, he was a mama’s boy in the best way possible. He always made efforts to look out for his mother, Ruth, and his sister.

While he was wonderfully sensitive, he was also stubborn at times. I think this is a quality of many “do-it-yourselfers” from the Alger area. He loved fixing things on his own and took great pride in successfully finishing projects related to his house or cars.

Speaking of cars, Robert was a car guy to say the least. He loved speed from a young age, spending much of his youth working on cars with his father and going to the Skagit Speedway upon their opening very often. He owned many fun cars and trucks over the years including multiple Corvettes, and a Ford Thunderbird. I will always picture him in the red Dodge Dakota (sport package, of course). He had a deep passion for NASCAR racing that was shared with me from a young age. From the time I was 4 years old, we would chat NASCAR for hours at a time on a near weekly basis. That may be the piece of our relationship I will miss most. His favorite drivers are all men that seem to share his lifestyle…and fiery temper at times. Dale Earnhardt was his go-to guy until Dale passed away. He then moved on to a three-way split between Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt Junior. It seems fitting that after Robert passed away, Kevin Harvick retired from full-time racing one week later.

One key piece of Robert’s life was his deep love for traveling the world. He and his partner Kris travelled on many occasions to Mexico, Belize, Canada, Yellowstone, California, Alaska, and more. The beach life seemed to bring out the Margaritaville in his personality and suited him quite well. He had some fascinating stories about his travels that made our family gatherings exciting.

I think my favorite moment with my Uncle Ted was our trip to Yellowstone. We drove in his red truck in the middle of June, and it was my first time really camping. He showed me the ropes and taught me to be comfortable being uncomfortable. A story he loved to tell from this trip is that one particularly cold morning, it started to snow. Of course, I was still sleeping away in the tent, freezing cold. He called to me, “Spence, come see the snow… Spence, wanna see the snow?” to which I replied simply, “NO!” and went back to bed. I can still hear him laughing after telling that story. His laugh started deep and was slow to develop but once it got going it was contagious.

Robert was a great man. He cared very much for those around him. He was there for me when my father wasn’t, he was there for my mom when she needed him, and he improved my life tremendously. He was always interested in what I had going on. He was proud of me with every step of my life. He showed tremendous support and love for my wife, and he will be dearly missed.

To close, here is a poem that my wife discovered. The author is unknown, and it was written just after Dale Earnhardt passed away. This poem makes me happy to think that Robert, Bob, Ted, whatever you may have called him is happy. He is no longer suffering from the bodily limits of this world. He is up in Heaven shaking hands with Dale Earnhardt and hugging his dad and sister again.

Love you, T.
– “Kid”


The Heaven 500 was just getting started,
an all-star race, for the racing departed.
Heroes of the track, with nerves like steel,
and sitting on the pole was a cat named Neil.

Adam Petty was there, with his beautiful smile,
Kenny Irwin, determined to finish in style.
Lee Petty was glowing, with grandfatherly pride,
with Davey and Clifford, each had a new ride.

Fireball Roberts floated in on a cloud,
while Tony Roper waved to the heavenly crowd.
Morosso and Nemechek, then Tim Richmond appeared,
Kulwicki strapped in while the racing fans cheered.

The honorary starter, for this heavenly race,
Ralph Earnhardt was chosen, a tear on his face,
but the red flag flew even before it had begun,
with every eye, wide open, and looking to the SUN.

A last-minute entry was the cause of delay,
while the fans were instructed to kneel and pray.
The Heavens turned black, and the clouds turned dark,
the lightning was brilliant, the thunder did bark.

Then out of the rumble, for all there to see,
the clouds formed a number, a black number three.
The heavenly fans then erupted with pride,
and welcomed this star who had recently died.

On a bolt of lightning, Dale Earnhardt arrived,
as he stood before Jesus, his spirits revived.
Jesus hugged his precious child, then revealed his perfect plan.
"I brought you home to let you know, I'm your biggest fan!"

As Ralph stood proud, the green flag flew,
the crowd went wild, and the tension grew.
And just like salvation, the admission was free,
as every eye focused on the black number three.

When the checkered flag dropped, no dry eyes remained,
it was a photo finish, as Jesus explained.
He said, "There are no losers, on this heavenly track.
This was a welcome home party, for The Man in Black!"