APTOS, CA
Elliott Raymond Morris, 38, of Aptos, California died December 29, 2022 after being struck by a car while leaving a family wedding in Michigan. He was born August 8, 1984 in Columbus, Indiana to Raymond and Elizabeth Morris.
Elliott showed promise early on by winning the Brown County Diaper Derby at age 11 months. He was a Martin Luther King Essay contest winner in the sixth grade and was also invited to present his sixth grade project on the dearth of treatment resources for those with substance use disorder to the Columbus City Council. This was the first time the Council had seen a PowerPoint presentation. His high school senior project was leading a group of teenage volunteers with Columbus Housing Partnerships to build an accessible house. He was Editor-in-Chief of the Columbus East year book.
He graduated from Columbus East High School in 2003 and from Carleton College in Northfield, MN in 2007 where he managed the college’s bike share program. His love of cycling led him to take a job at Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington, MN following graduation. Later he moved to California and worked as a business analyst for Specialized Bicycles. His most recent position was with Google.
He loved going on long bike adventures with friends throughout the west. He prided himself with minimizing the weight of all he would need and carrying everything with him. He loved living in his geodesic dome in Aptos surrounded by Japanese maples with great trails through redwood forests, including one with a view of the Monterey Bay. He managed to tame a feral cat, Roo, to go on hikes with him.
Elliott is survived by his parents, his sister Rebecca (Mike) Fincham, his paternal grandmother, Lillie Morris, four aunts, four uncles, and two cousins. He was preceded in death by his remaining grandparents and a maternal uncle.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to any not for profit that works to improve safe infrastructure for walking and biking. Several local examples include the Healthy Communities Healthy Lifestyles team, the Columbus Park Foundation and the Columbus Bike Co-op.
A celebration of life is planned but not yet scheduled.
