Jeff Morris

William Jeffrey Morris, 75, of Bucyrus, passed peacefully on Monday, September 22, 2025 at Marion Rehabilitation while under the care of Heartland Hospice following an 8-year battle with Alzheimer’s.

Jeff was born on August 22, 1950 in Bucyrus to the late William F. and Patricia J. (Burns) Morris. He was a 1969 graduate of Bucyrus High School and on December 1, 1971, began working at the Bucyrus Fire Dept. He served the safety needs of our community for 28 years and retired as a Captain in 1997. During the 1970s, Jeff drove truck on his days off and continued driving well after retirement as owner of Jeff Morris Trucking. He operated this business until 2016. Jeff also served as the caretaker at Oakwood Cemetery for a period of two years.

In the early 1970s Jeff became reacquainted with Sharon “Sherry” Nelson while bowling at Suburban Lanes. The two hit it off and on June 13, 1976, they married. Sherry survives and has thoroughly enjoyed nearly 50 years of marriage.

Jeff spent much of his youth around motorcycles as his dad ran a local Harley Davidson shop. This introduction to motorcycles fueled his desire to ride and it was around the age of 15 he took on this passion for riding. Jeff rode professionally in Flat Track Racing from 1968-72, competing on various tracks throughout Ohio as well as surrounding states. He continued riding over the years and when he turned 50, entered the ARMA Group (a senior division) in which he competed against similar aged riders on occasion. Jeff’s love for riding motorcycles never left. He was blessed to have seen many sites while covering many miles of road.

Jeff very much enjoyed life, and he worked hard so he could play hard. In addition to riding motorcycles, their family did a lot of camping, and frequented sites at Walnut Grove and Candlewood Lake as well as at others. Some of his other hobbies included, deer hunting, trap shooting, and as long as the weather allowed, there were several years where he rode his bicycle for 25 mile a day. He mastered any hobby he put his mind to and was always fascinated with numbers and measurements. As an example, Jeff was an avid coffee drinker and knew to the second just how long it took for his coffee makers to brew a pot of his favorite hot beverage. Everything he did was a numbers game, and he became pretty good with his calculations. For relaxation, Jeff enjoyed watching Jeopardy and might have occasionally watched the morning show as well as the same episode later that evening as a way to impress others.

Jeff was a member of the Ohio National Guard, serving for 24 years; a member of the American Legion Post 181, Amvets Post 27, Moose Lodge 669 and was a life member of the AMA for 63 years.

In addition to wife Sherry, Jeff is survived by daughter, Traci (Ken) North; two grandchildren, Kasey North and Kassi North; brother, Michael (Marilyn) Morris; sister-in-law, Nellie Morris; nephew, Scott Morris; niece, Patricia (Matt) Horsley and extended family. He was preceded in death by a son, Stephen Jeffrey Morris and a brother, Randy Morris.

His family will receive friends from 11 – 12:55 pm Friday, September 26 at Wise Funeral Service, where his funeral will immediately follow at 1:00 pm with Chaplain Pam Lamb-Hart officiating. The funeral procession will go past the Bucyrus City Fire Dept en route to Oakwood Cemetery, where the Bucyrus Veterans Military Funeral Detail will honor Jeff’s 24 years in the Ohio National Guard.

If desired, donations can be made payable to either Alzheimer’s Association or to Heartland Hospice and these gifts will be accepted through the funeral home. Memories and expressions of sympathy are encouraged to be shared on his guestbook page at www.wisefuneral.com.