Edward Wayne “Buzz” Morrison

We are saddened to announce the passing of our dearly loved father, Edward “Buzz” Morrison. Buzz passed in the comfort of his home in Littleton, Colorado on January 8, 2025, at 85 years old.

 Buzz was born on April 28, 1939, in Salida, Colorado to John and Pauline (Kochman) Morrison. He was their second child, preceded by his brother, Norman, and survived by his sister, Marie. Buzz received his first Holy Communion with Rev. Bernard Gillick on May 11, 1947, and received his Confirmation in 1949 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church. He attended St. Joseph Catholic Grade School through 7th grade before graduating from Salida High School on May 31, 1957.

 After graduating, Buzz continued his summer job at the Colorado Limestone Company in Calcite, Colorado. After the mine closed, he accepted a quality control job at the newly built Lockheed Martin (fm. Glenn L. Martin Co.) site in Littleton, Colorado . Shortly thereafter, Buzz was drafted into the U.S. Army, in 1962. He completed basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri , then received helicopter mechanic training at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. Buzz was stationed there at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and told us of the fear he felt when he was pulled away from training to prepare for an imminent war with the Soviet Union. After his advanced training at Ft. Rucker, he was assigned to the 8th Aviation Division and 708th Maintenance Battalion in what was then West Germany. While away from recovering crashed helicopters, Buzz dared to venture into then-East Germany under the close gaze of Soviet handlers. He later returned to Littleton and spent a total of 36 years at Lockheed Martin Corporation.

 Having retired from Martin, Buzz was finally free to give his attention to that which interested him more than anything else: the mysteries of the natural world. Though lacking a four-year college education, he acquired a hands-on, intimate knowledge of native wildlife that brought him to the attention of professional academics. Beginning sometime in the early 2000s, Buzz gave thousands of hours to collecting arachnids (e.g., spiders) that found their way into the collections at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. To date, over 3,800 of his specimens have been identified. Those nearly 4,000 specimens contributed to a collection of 383 distinct species, and that number is expected to grow to more than 400 species as the museum sorts through the backlog left behind from his thousands of hours in the field.

 Buzz always had his camera with him, even while collecting high-country spiders. He hiked miles and miles with a ladder, uphill, to capture some of the onlyphotographs of in-situ, nesting flammulated owls (Otus flammeolus). Although wildlife almost always had his interest, he would stop (sometimes in the middle of traffic) for anything he felt was photo-worthy. His photographs of Mestizo-themed murals around Denver brought him to the attention of local civil rights leaders, and he was given the exclusive opportunity to photograph activists like Russell Means. His photos of roadside fire-roasted chili peppers can also be found in the book Culinaria: The United States. As active as he was, accidents were bound to happen; his photography career (and his life) was almost brought to an untimely end after he fell through an ice-capped Bear Creek Lake while photographing seagulls.

 Edward is survived by his children, Debra Morrison, Travis (Cristina) Morrison, and Darby Martin, and his grandchildren Joshua Morrison, Amanda Simon, Cody Martin, Dylan Martin and Jonathan Morrison. Edward is preceded in death by his loving wife of 60 years, Virginia Morrison.

 Burial service will be held Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 1pm, Fort Logan National Cemetery, Staging Area C.

 In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in memory of Buzz Morrison to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (https://www.dmns.org – click Donate in upper right corner.)

 “I love not the Man less, but Nature more…” -Lord Byron