Earl and Hazel "Hess" Morrison Fund

Deb Buckli's parents met during World War II. Earl "Morry" Morrison served on a U.S. Navy minesweeper, and Hazel "Hess" Morrison enlisted in the Army Nursing Corps. Their wartime romance led to marriage, a family of two children, and a successful business.

In 1956, the couple settled in Chippewa Falls, where Earl and his brother, Roy, owned and operated Morrison Implement, a John Deere dealership.

"As busy as they were, they would spend endless hours volunteering," Deb shared. "I just thought it was a blessing that they would do that."

Earl passed away in February 1999 and Hazel in May 2019. Deb, who lives in Chippewa Falls, and her brother Donald Morrison, who is a professor of philosophy at Rice University in Houston, Texas, set up the Earl and Hazel "Hess" Morrison Fund. The unrestricted fund, which endowed last November, will support grants to Chippewa County nonprofit and charitable organizations.

Earl belonged to several organizations, including the Chippewa Falls Rotary Club, Tripoli Shriners, Elks Lodge #1326, Masonic Lodge #176, and UW-Stout Alumni. He and Hazel were active at First Presbyterian Church.

Deb remembers helping her father deliver roses for a Rotary Club fundraiser. "He was the top Rotary rose salesman. He was so proud of that," she said.

Deb and her two sons helped her mother deliver food for Meals on Wheels. Hazel, a registered nurse, also volunteered with the Red Cross Bloodmobile, Open Door Clinic, Girl Scouts, Literacy Volunteers of America, and a student mentoring program.

Deb, a teller at Northwestern Bank, helps at a Chippewa Falls food pantry and Agnes' Table herself. "My parents showed me the importance of volunteering," she said.