Zella Elizabeth (Thompson) Morrow was born on 2 May 1935, in Davison, Michigan, the third of seven children born to Alfred and Evelyn (Wingfield) Thompson. Zella’s father was a farmer, and the children pitched in by weeding rows and harvesting vegetables. When her father built a packaging building on their farm, the children began packaging carrots and parsnips after school and on weekends, for 35-cents per hour. There was still plenty of time for roaming the fields, climbing trees in the orchard, and playing basketball in the barn, though!

Reading was one of Zella’s favorite pastimes; as a girl, her favorite book was Little Women. She was thrilled when her eighth grade class chose to put on the play Little Women, and she was cast as Jo March. Zella began playing the clarinet when she was nine, and continued through high school. She loved being in the marching band! Zella’s mother taught her to sew when she was young, and she became very good at it. When the time came, she made her own wedding dress– and a bridesmaid dress for each of her five sisters. Zella also enjoyed gardening (of course).

Zella met Ralph Morrow while they were students at Eastern Michigan State College, where she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. The couple married in October 1956. After graduating in 1958, Ralph and Zella moved to Gainesville, Florida, to continue their studies at the University of Florida. For several years Zella taught fourth grade while Ralph worked on his degree, then Zella earned a Master’s degree in Library Science. It was in Gainesville where they began raising their four daughters.

The family eventually relocated to Salem, Oregon, where Zella began working as a librarian and media specialist at Cummings Elementary. She worked there for 20 years, and was nominated for Salem-Keizer School District’s educator of the year in 1985. Zella was deeply involved in her children’s lives, instilling in them a love of learning, reading, and history. She was active in the church the family attended, where she assisted in the office, the nursery, and the youth program.

Since childhood, Zella had believed that families are meant to be together forever. In 1976, upon learning that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught this very truth, she welcomed the opportunity to meet with missionaries. Shortly thereafter, Zella and her daughters were baptized. Ralph joined them a few years later, and in 1982, the family was sealed for eternity in the Salt Lake City Utah Temple.

She served in many capacities in the Church, including temple worker and missionary at the Family History Center in Salt Lake City. Zella’s passion for genealogy began long before she joined the Church, so it was only natural that Zella spent much of her free time at the local family history center and attended the temple frequently.

Thirty years ago, Zella and Ralph moved to Utah to be closer to their daughters and enjoy grandparenting close-up. She lived in Orem, Utah until her passing on Thursday, 9 April 2026. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph; her parents; her brother, Al Thompson; and two sisters, June Ivester and Nancy Hayward. She is survived by three of her sisters: Margaret Griffin, Marilyn Wingfield, and Lorraine Ovaitt; by her four daughters– Nila (Greg) Blackham, Holly (Harold) Toomey, Sharon (Warren) Wood, and Ginger (Derrick) Wade— as well as 15 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.

Funeral Services will be Saturday, April 25, 2026, 11:30am at Walker Sanderson Funeral Home, 646 East 800 North, Orem. Family and friends may visit that morning from 10-11am at the funeral home. A webcast of the services will be available at www.walkersanderson.com.