Rev. Alfred Morrison

CHESTER - The Rev. Alfred Morrison, 95, the man who founded the Assembly of God Church in Polson, died May 25, 2004, of an apparent heart ailment in Benefis E. Medical Center in Great Falls.

He was born Oct. 19, 1908, in Los Angeles, the only son of two children born to Joseph and Ella (Hawkins) Morrison.

He grew up in northern California, receiving his elementary education at Dobbins and his secondary education in Marysville, where he graduated from high school in 1925. In the few years that followed he worked in the California gold mines, peach orchards and laundry houses.

In 1930 Alfred enrolled at the Glad Tidings Bible Institute in San Francisco.

He earned his preaching certificate and became an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God for the remaining 70 years of his life.

On May 22, 1932, at the Bible Institute, he married Alma Anna Dulleck, who was to help him through life's journey.

His first ministry was in Butte in 1932 where he pioneered the first of nine churches in Montana - Anaconda in 1933, Fort Peck in 1935, Sidney in 1937, Jordan in 1941, Shelby in 1943, and Polson in 1945.

He conducted "out-station" Sunday Schools in Sunburst and Chester, which led to the establishment of those two congregations.

In 1946, the Morrisons moved to Hawaii.

During the following nine years he helped construct a church in Hilo and established and built the Kailua Assembly of God Church on Oahu.

They moved to Scotts Valley, Calif., in 1957 to start a new church there.

Alfred resigned in 1967 to do overseas missionary work.

He made 10 crusades in Paraguay, Honduras and Guatemala and 14 trips to Mexico.

He also ministered in New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Fiji, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, Canada and elsewhere in the U.S., including Alaska.

During his missionary work, the Morrisons made their home in Placerville, Calif., where he was active in senior citizens ministry programs. In 1983, they moved to Blue Springs, Mo., to "slow down a bit."

But the word retirement wasn't in his vocabulary. He continued his outreach ministry at local senior citizen centers, retirement homes and nursing facilities and served as president of the Blue Springs Ministerial Outreach Association. He also made several more missionary trips to South America. Alma died in 1993 and Alfred continued to make his home in Blue Springs.

In 1995 Alfred was invited to Montana to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Assembly of God Church in Chester. While there he met a parishioner widow, Golda (Allen) Laas. Their friendship grew and they were married Jan. 6,1996, in Chester. From that time on they spent their summers in Chester and their winters in Blue Springs.

They continued missionary work. They were active in the Thursday night chapel services at the Christian Church in Blue Springs where he played the piano and was an occasional speaker. They took a missionary trip to Honduras in 1997. They went to Sequim, Wash., to volunteer as prison ministers. In 1999 they attended an anniversary service at one of Alfred's Hawaiian churches.

During the summers Alfred frequently preached as a guest minister at the Whitlash Presbyterian Church, the Chester Alliance and Assembly of God churches and the Rudyard ECNA, as well as volunteering his ministry at the Liberty County Nursing Home, assisting with Bible study groups.

At age 95 he dressed in his Hawaiian garb for the Chester High School Junior/Senior banquet and performed some songs on the ukulele and received a standing ovation.

Besides his carpentry skills developed in helping to build churches, he wrote poetry daily, and wrote his life's story, "Born on Wheels and Adventures in Faith," which was published in 1994.

Alfred's love of his Lord was unrelenting and even at the end he spoke freely of the "Good News of Salvation."

Surviving are his wife Golda of Chester; three daughters, Aleen (Tony) Pacitti of Loveland, Colo.; Adell Janzen of Polson and Julene (Dick) Hatlin of Polson; five step-children, Doni (Krystal) Laas of Hillsboro, Ore., Bonnie (Ben) Shaw of Scappose, Ore., Koni (Mark) Comfort of Scappoose; Cyndy (Joe) LaSorte of Chester, and Rob (Tina) Laas of Chester; seven grandchildren, nine-great-grandchildren, 11 step-grandchildren; eight step-great-great-grandchildren; a nephew and two nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents and first wife; son-in-law, Herman Janzen of Polson; his sister, Jewell Frederick; a granddaughter and two great-grandsons.

Montana funeral services were held May 29, at the Chester Assembly of God Church. Missouri funeral services were held June 3 in the Blue Springs Assembly, followed by burial in he family plot at the Lobb Cemetery near Independence.