November 21, 1937 - February 5, 2020

Karol Kay Morrison, dear wife, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, passed from this life and entered eternal life on February 5, 2020. She was 82 years of age. Karol was born on November 21, 1937 in Omaha, Nebraska to Kenneth Kerslake and Minerva Bonenkamp. She, along with her parents and old brother Robert, moved to South Gate, CA when Karol was four years of age. She attended St. Emydius Elementary School and South Gate High School. She excelled in school, always getting straight A’s. She was also a talented dancer, gymnast, and a high school cheerleader.
At the age of 17, she met M.D. “Hop” Morrison. They were married a year later on May 12, 1956 and moved to Downey to begin their lives as a married couple. There they raised their three boys and one girl. As devout Catholics, Hop and Karol joined Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church as soon as they moved to Downey. Hop and Karol were married almost 64 years.
An avid volunteer, Karol unselfishly gave her time and talents to not only her family, but to the Downey community as well. Beginning when her oldest son began school in 1962, she volunteered as room mom at O.L.P.H. school almost yearly and as a team mom to the many club sports her children played over their school years. She volunteered as a board member for several community organizations, including: the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Council, Downey Community Hospital Board, Downey YMCA Board, Downey Symphony Board, and the Downey Library Board. Karol also was very active in the O.L.P.H. Women’s Guild, Downey Assistance League, and as a Eucharistic minster at O.L.P.H masses and for the parishioners who were homebound.
In the midst of all this volunteerism, Karol decided to go back to college when her youngest child started high school. In 1981, she graduated with an AA from Cerritos College and a degree as a registered nurse. For 15 years, she worked in the Out-Patient Surgical Center at Downey Community Hospital. After she retired from the hospital, she worked at Morrison Electric, the electrical contracting company that she and her husband Hop own.
Karol leaves behind her loving Family: husband, M.D. “Hop”; children: Dan (Kris), Dennis (Mary), Dave, and Elise Ragusa (Joe); grandchildren: Melissa Shelton (Tyler), Matthew Ragusa, Lauryn Morrison, Katelyn Ragusa, Amber Morrison, Aibreann Morrison, Eireann Morrison, and Aidan Morrison; great-grandchildren: Luke Ragusa, Sophia Ragusa, and Zachary Shelton. She also is survived by her older brother Robert Kerslake (Laurie) of Los Angeles.
Karol did not have a “bucket list,” but instead enjoyed spending time with her family. She enjoyed visiting with her children, grandchildren, and especially the new great-grandchildren. Karol also enjoyed her friends, many whom have remained close for over half a century. She will be dearly missed by all.
A Catholic Vigil will be held on Monday, February 24, 2020 at 9:30am at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Downey, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00am.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to be made in honor of Karol Morrison to either The Assistance League of Downey or the Downey Symphony Society:
The Assistance League of Downey Downey Symphonic Society
11026 Downey Ave. P.O. Box 763
Downey, Ca. 90241 Downey, CA 90241
Condolences may be sent to the family through our website, www.rishermortuary.com. 562-861-3888.