Carol May (Van Dam) Morrison

And as it was, so it came to be that on April 29th, 2026, Carol May (Van Dam) Morrison passed from legendary into legend. She was 76 years old. 

 

Carol May (aka Nana) was a gift. The seventh child of the seventh child, she was seven years younger than her youngest sister, who prayed for a baby sister, and Carol showed up. Carol’s singular goal in life was simply to do what God wanted her to do. Humble epicness followed her all the days of her life. (Psalm 103)

 

To know Nana, was to be prayed for by Nana. If she told you she would pray for you, she actually did. There are names in her prayer notebook of people whom she only met once. If she knew only OF you through any one of us, she prayed for you also, though you probably never knew. Her steadfastness could move mountains. The spine of her Bible wore out. Her prayers never did. 

 

Her New York accent was still detectable, if you knew where to listen. She went to Woodstock, but the year after it happened. She lived in Hawaii. She taught English in the high mountains of Tennessee where she also crashed her yellow Mustang. She was called into the Dean’s office of her alma mater for bringing her students for a campus visit, challenging the school’s continued segregation post-1954. She was promptly kicked off campus. She received proposals of marriage at least three times that we know of and possibly four. She lived in Seattle and collected the ashes of Mount St. Helens when it erupted. Her favorite flower was all of them. If she invited you for dinner, she made quadruple what was necessary. Her bread was what home is; her cinnamon rolls and pies, heaven; her potato or pasta salad, invariably too much. 

 

Not only was Nana an information junkie with graph paper for brains connecting the transversals of history, science, and Scripture, but she also had a knack for acquiring the most curious items in the most unorthodox ways. Most of her treasure was tied to history. She had a piece of the Berlin Wall. What she collected and treasured most, though, was family. If you were her friend, you became part of our family. If you were our friend, she adopted you. 

 

Nana’s most treasured possession was time with her children and grandchildren. If you asked her about us, she would tell you the Lord raised us. Although her life was epic, it did not come without trials. Devoting yourself to love and light usually means God takes you to dark valleys where light is needed. Nana’s most treasured attribute and incalculable beauty was that she, like the moon she so dearly loved, reflected Light and illuminated the dark. She modeled how to walk humbly and quietly with steadfastness and thankfulness, even in the trials. Her Dutch stubbornness helped, too. (Psalm 121)

 

Nana is preceded in death by her parents, several siblings, her former husband, and some very dear friends and family but her legacy lives on in a myriad of loved ones. Nana’s seven sons and one daughter, their spouses, and her grandchildren: Brian (Nicky) Morrison, Jack, Benny: Sterling (Tisha) (Eden) Morrison, Kinsley, Porter, Enno; Troy (Kendra) Morrison, Ava, Donovan; Derek (Nikki) Morrison, Luke, Reese, Jenna, Jude, Chase, Quinn, Indie; Micah (Brandi) Morrison, Emerick, McClain; Oakland (Abby) Morrison, Oakland Wayne, Judson, Whit; Marjorie (Josh) Gelz, Adalyn, Kingston, Chandler, Griffin; Kirk (Jasmine) Morrison, Hannah Rose Lamb-Morrison, Jedi. Special love to Ida and Nana’s “Old Lady Bible Study” group. Nana’s legacy glows from each one of us.

 

A Celebration of Life will be held on June 7, at 4 p.m. at Pine Meadows Venue, 1455 State Route 76 Willow Springs, MO 65793. Condolence letters and notes may be sent to The Morrison Family at the same address. In lieu of flowers, Nana would simply ask that you read your Bible.