Edward Rockendorf Morey

Edward Rockendorf Morey was born on January 2nd 1950 in Chicago Heights, Illinois to Esther Sophia Rockendorf and Jack Barnett Morey. Edward grew up in Chicago Heights and attended Bloom High School. He attended the University of Denver earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics as well as Psychology.  His undergraduate time at the University of Denver sparked his deep passion for economics and he continued on to receive a Master’s Degree in Economics at the University of Arizona. From there, he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia and received his PHD in economics from the University of British Columbia. 

Edward was highly respected in the environmental economics field. In 1988, he began his career at the University of Colorado at Boulder as an associate and then a full professor in the economics department. He was a visiting professor at various universities around the world including: the Norwegian Agricultural University, the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, as well as the University of Padova in Italy. Most importantly, he would want to be remembered for his passion for ethics, choice theory, moral philosophy, and its correlation to economics. His proudest work was his book, Deconstructing Behavior, Choice, and Well-being : Neoclassical Choice Theory and Welfare Economics  published in November 2023. 

In 1987, Edward met the love of his life, Sally Warren, in Vancouver and in 1996, his daughter Alexa was born. Despite all of his academic accomplishments, Edward’s biggest pride and joy was in his family who he was deeply close with (this includes his dogs Maggie, Sofie, and Giacomo). Edward enjoyed traveling, and spent time in various countries across the world. He was particularly passionate about visiting Italy, and pursued learning Italian for over two decades. He was an enthusiastic road, gravel, and mountain biker, and was involved in the Boulder cycling community for 40 years. Every winter Edward could be found on a mountain somewhere in the world as he was an avid alpine and nordic skier. 

If you knew Edward, you were one of the lucky ones. He had an extraordinary wit and was utterly hilarious to all who got to know him. Edward was also a deeply kind soul with a very unorthodox brain, who inspired all of us to think more deeply, more creatively, and more inquisitively. He was a breath of fresh air and many felt comforted in his presence. He had an intense passion for learning, from languages to philosophy to secular Buddhism to sculpture to cooking. In fact, in the weeks before his death, his daughter Alexa and he were in a two-person book club so they could learn more together. 

Edward is preceded in death by his mother, Esther Sophia Morey and father Jack Barnett Morey. He is survived by his wife Sally Warren, and daughter Alexa Morey, of Boulder CO, his brother David (Patty) Morey of Emerald Isle, NC, his sister Judy (David) Hughes of Minneapolis, Minnesota, his brother Gary (Carol) of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, his brother Mike (Jennifer) of River Falls, Wisconsin, as well as extended family and friends who adored him greatly. He was our biggest treasure and we will miss him forever.