Nelson Morrow

Nelson G. Morrow, 89, a resident of the Kootenai Valley for the past 40 years, died Tuesday, July 4, 2006, at his home in Libby.

Nelson was best known in the region as the voice of the Libby Dam Project during its construction years, serving as chief administrative officer and public information media officer for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.

He began his career with the Corps of Engineers in Seattle during the early 1940s, taking time out to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. Following the war, he returned to the Corps of Engineers, serving as chief administrative officer on the Chief Joseph Dam at Bridgeport, Wash., and remaining there until moving to the same position on the Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River in 1961.

He and his wife Ruth came to Libby in 1966 and had remained residents of the Kootenai Valley following his retirement from the Corps of Engineers in 1975. His wife Ruth preceded him in death in 2004.

Nelson was born in the Flathead Valley of Montana on Aug. 26, 1916, to Herbert and Pearl Morrow. He was raised and educated in Whitefish, graduating from Whitefish High School in 1934. While in high school, he had been active in athletics and was an outstanding baseball player. Following high school, he had played semi-pro baseball for a period of time and also had played in a small band.

An avid traveler, he and his wife Ruth had spent three years traveling following his retirement, visiting every state in the union as well as much of Canada and Mexico; their golden wedding anniversery was spent in Maui, Hawaii, the only remaining state they had not visited. The following three summers they spent visiting the Yukon Territory and Alaska.

Nelson had been an active bridge player and a lifelong baseball fan. He also had been an author on the subject of mushrooms and was sought out by many for his expertise on the subject. Nelson enjoyed the Montana outdoors, including hunting and fishing, and had tied his own flies. A continuous lover of crafts and arts, he enjoyed woodworking as well as writing poetry and music, playing the guitar and violin.

Nelson had been a member of the American Legion, serving as state commander while living in Washington state, and had been a longtime member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

Surviving him are his son, Garnett Morrow, and his wife, Marya, of Anchorage, Alaska; a daughter, Cheryl James and her husband, Larry, of Lake Forest, Calif.; and grandchildren Kolena, Salena, Garnett Jr., Kyle and Dan, as well as seven great-grandchildren.

He was also preceded in death by his first wife Mary in 1951.

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Libby with the Rev. Glen Gleaves officiating. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, at the Nelson & Vial Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to St. Luke's Episcopal Church or to Libby Volunteer Ambulance.