Clifford Gene (Caldwell) Morris, 66, passed away at home with family on April 25, 2024, after a courageous four-year battle against colon cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 45 years, Laura (Sexsmith) Morris; sons and daughters-in-law, Trevor and Sarah (Peckham) Morris, Jared and Cindy (Miles) Morris; three granddaughters and one grandson.  

He also is survived by brothers, Randy Brown of San Diego, California, David Fackenthall of Onalaska, Washington; sisters, Andrea Teal of Puyallup, Washington, Jennifer Hilde of Goldbar, Washington, Angela Campbell of Cle Elum, Washington, and Vanessa Caldwell of Medical Lake, Washington.

He is preceded in death by parents, Barbara Jean Morris and (Clifford) Vance Caldwell, grandparents, Clifford and Avararil Caldwell, and Andy and Rose Marie Berg.

Cliff was born March 30, 1958, in Spokane, Washington. He spent his early years in Eastern Washington before moving to Western Washington at age 10. He attended schools in Olympia, Onalaska, and Adna. He is a 1976 graduate of Auburn Adventist Academy. 

After high school, he traveled to California, Oregon, Mexico and Guatemala, building schools and churches.  He returned to Washington state and married Laura Sexsmith of Centralia on April 8, 1979. Cliff continued to work in construction in the Pacific Northwest region but, when that slowed down, he took on a job as a bridge painter. Never afraid of heights, he would take on and learn anything, working on projects across Washington and Oregon, such as the Astoria bridge and the Narrows.  

His true love of construction encouraged him to become a General Contractor in 1988 after moving to Tumwater, Washington.  His passion and vision for building took him all over the USA; he even went to Japan twice for special projects. 

He shared his love of building and his hardworking ethics with his sons (and many other family members). Trevor and Jared learned young working with their Dad, “The Boss,” following in his footsteps and adding their own knowledge and expertise along the way.

Cliff’s adventurous spirit and drive to try new things allowed him to enjoy life to the fullest. He was an active scuba diver, motorcyclist, enjoyed mountain climbing, backpacking, hiking, fishing, skiing, quad riding, and camping. Anything outdoors is where he loved to be with family. Teaching his grandchildren to enjoy the things he did as well as just being able to spend time with them. He loved being a father and he loved being Papa! He spent many weekends in the last two years with his sons and grandkids.

So many stories to tell around the campfires, especially enjoying his sister's place along the river in Packwood, Washington, a favorite place to spend time and enjoy family celebrations. Cliff also loved his fur babies, always having his faithful Rottweiler companions through the years. Hunter and Ranger miss him so much.

Cliff was always looking forward to and planning the next adventure, traveling to Belize, Cabo San Lucas, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Utah, most recently a cruise to Alaska with his wife and siblings.

Even at the at the end of his journey, he spent as much time as he could on his Idaho property, planning for when he could be there with wife, sons, and families. His vision to build a life there together is something that kept him going.  Idaho was the dream, a place that spoke to his soul. It gave him a sense of Peace and Happiness, where he finally felt at home.

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