Final Salute

Morris Ervin Weathers passed away peacefully at home on July 27th, 2026. Ten days prior he had made it to his goal of 90 years old. It was one of many commitments he kept, the greatest of which were his marriage to his much loved wife, Lois (Quigley), providing for his family, and serving his country. While his birth name is Morris, only his family origin could call him that; to all others he was “Mo.”

By the time Mo graduated high school, he had lived at more than twenty addresses (with one stint living under a bridge) and attended thirteen different schools. It wasn’t always easy. Neither he or Lois had model childhoods, and yet were able to create a stable and secure home for their family. They had two children, Doug and Charis.

Mo and Lois fell in love almost instantly on a blind date while he was home on leave from the Navy. A commanding officer asked him to apply for the Naval Academy and he said, “No, thank you, I want to go home,” in order to be with his love. They were married for 67 years. Lois told him for his 90th birthday, “You are my first, my always, and my forever love.” With a relationship akin to fairy tales, their marriage was highlighted in the Oregonian series, “NW Love Stories” in 2015. They faced challenges and joys together, hand in hand.

Much of Mo’s early work was truck driving and general labor in lumber yards and rock crushers. In the Navy he became seasick on a heavy cruiser while inside Long Beach Harbor and subsequently spent most of his Navy life on shore with the Seabees as a driver of all manner of vehicles. Mo stated that he was a “former sports car owner and never got over it” – driving was a place of freedom and exhilaration. His vehicles were spotless and meticulously cared for. From huge work rigs, to a small Sunbeam Alpine, to Volkswagen campers, to a convertible VW Rabbit, and a lowrider Chevy pickup that was a throwback to his high school dreams; Mo loved cars and was a skilled driver. Driving also got him to places he wanted to see; Mo also loved travel. He would drive while Lois navigated and read guidebooks to the family. Their family traveled extensively each summer, especially during the nine years they lived in Europe, creating lasting memories like picking up a hitchhiker in Athens and losing their car brakes in the Swiss Alps.

As an Air Force officer, Mo mostly worked with computers. Beginning in the late 1960s, when computers used punch cards and took up entire rooms, he completed his 26-year military career as the supervisor of several systems at NORAD, the center of aerospace defense for both the US and Canada. Mo continued working as a computer systems manager after retiring from the Air Force, happily concluding his work at the city of Lake Oswego in civil service. It was deeply important to Mo that his work served causes that benefitted others.

Called a “born diddler,” Mo was a true Renaissance man and could fix most things (only surpassed in this skill by his son who became a rocket engineer). He had a particular genius in coming up with incredibly creative solutions to everyday problems, like designing and building a loft bed that daughter Charis could take with her as the only furniture she needed while moving through young adulthood. Mo’s home and cars all contained hundreds of ways he fixed things to make them more organized, efficient, elegant, and useful.

Mo was known for his ability to eat large amounts of food. Eating was a pleasure, and he was incredibly particular—ask any barista who had the misfortune to receive his order. Mo was also known for his famous annual Christmas letter. For almost sixty consecutive years, he wrote a single-spaced double-sided letter, detailing the family’s shenanigans. Each was filled with details, pathos, and oddball humor. Recipients tell stories of waiting to read his letter last, or eagerly anticipating its arrival every year.

Mo is predeceased by his son, Doug Weathers, and survived by his wife, Lois Weathers; daughter, Charis Weathers, her wife, Deborah Frost; daughter-in-law Anna Paradox; as well as his siblings, Darwin (Penny) Weathers, Denise (Jeff) Kiesow, Gary (Robin) Weathers, and Daron Weathers.

In his last few months, Mo wore several fleece onesies. They provided both warmth and “whimsy.” He did not want anyone to focus on his decline, but on his ability to provide smiles and humor. Mo is loved by many, and will be missed until we are joined with him again in the arms of our Creator.

A memorial service for Mo will be Wednesday, Oct 14, 2026, from 2 – 4 pm at Rose Villa  Senior Living, 13505 SE River Rd, Portland, OR. Parking is limited; please carpool, if possible.

Mo had a robust philanthropic spirit. In light of his generosity, rather than sending flowers, please consider donating to the RoseVilla Foundation (rosevilla.org/foundation), or to a nonprofit of your choice.