Phyllis J. Morton ’49

Phyllis J. Morton ’49, of Perrysburg, Ohio; Feb. 20. She was the founder of Abundant Life of Perrysburg and Abundant Life II, an elderly housing authority for which she received a national award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She was a court appointed special advocate for children for more than 35 years. In retirement she volunteered with several organizations until a few months prior to her passing, including Perrysburg Area Historic Museum and Advocates for Basic Legal Equality. She was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Mayor’s proclamation of Phyllis Morton Appreciation Day, 2012 Distinguished Citizen of Perrysburg Award, and a Virginia Secor Stranahan Citizenship Award from the League of Women Voters, a 2013 Jefferson Award honoring her for her positive efforts, the 2015 Access to Justice Community Advocacy Award, and the 2018 Bentley Historic Preservation Award. She enjoyed traveling to all seven continents and was a member of Zoar Lutheran Church in Perrysburg, where she organized monthly preparation and serving of meals at a homeless shelter in Toledo and helped build a home through Habitat for Humanity. She is survived by two daughters; four sons; 14 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.