01/04/1929 -11/15/2024
Surfside Beach
Funeral Services
Graveside funeral services for Mrs. Morris will be held at 1 PM, Monday, November 18, 2024, at Williamsburg Cemetery.
Visitation
Her family will receive family and friends at Williamsburg Funeral Home before the funeral from 11:30 to 12:45 PM.
On the evening of the 15th of November 2024, Lola Mae Jacquelin Hudson Morris, loving mother of four, from Surfside entered heaven to be with her savior and Lord, Jesus Christ at the age of 95.
Born on January 4, 1929, in Indiantown, Lola was the eldest daughter of the late landowners and farmers, Harry Daniel Hudson and Fannie Mae Galloway Hudson. She was a member of the United Methodist Church of Kingstree.
Lola began her life as a farmer’s daughter in the tobacco fields of Indiantown. Where she welcomed the birth of each of her four adored younger sisters, Margie, Elise, Jeannie, and Harriet. Raised during the depression era, they were taught the meaning of hard work, perseverance, and the love of Jesus.
As a child growing up in that close knit community, Lola loved riding her horse “Nellie” in the rows of planted fields and attending church and school at Indiantown Presbyterian with her family and friends. She remembers as a young girl, her father climbing up on the roof near the steeple to help extinguish a fire. She tasted her first Coca-Cola at the age of 10 as an allowance for working on the farm.
At the age of 16, tragedy struck. Her father, who rests in the cemetery at Indiantown was struck down by a malignant brain tumor in the prime of his life. At only 45 years old, he left his beautiful bride with five little girls and no one to work on the farm. Broken hearted, their mother made the hard decision that the four younger girls would travel to Thornwell Orphanage, where they would spend the rest of their childhood. Being the oldest, at 16 Lola remained behind and worked hard to help her mother, taking a job at Ruffin’s Dept Store in Hemingway after school and on Saturdays sending what she could to her sisters and visiting them on the weekends so that they could be a “family” again.
After graduating in 1947, Lola moved to Kingstree and started working at the Kingstree Laundry. While in Kingstree, Lola met the love of her life, Harry Lee Morris. Married on October 24, 1954, after Harry’s return from the Korean War as a US Air Force Flight Engineer. Buying a home on the edge of town (which was then known as Hwy 52), they immediately began their family with the birth of their children Debrah Lee, Cindy Lou, Cheryl Lynn, and Bryan Keith. Their life was centered around family and friends. With weekends being the time for kids and adults alike to gather together for dinner parties, dancing to vinyl records blasting from a console Zenith stereo cabinet or besting each other at cards and board games at the many fold-up tables. Then off to church on Sundays and back to work on Monday where Harry owned a TV repair business beside an old-fashion Drug store and Soda Fountain shop in the heart of downtown Kingstree. Coming home with huge cardboard boxes to be carved with windows and doors for playhouses.
Sadly, that life ended after only 13 years when Harry passed away in 1967. Lola went back to work at the Kingstree Laundry and with the help of her sweet mother and cherished sister Jeannie, raised and provided for her four children, then ages 10, 7, 6 and 2. Always adventurous and brave, in 1977 she was one of the first women in SC to buy and run a full service gas station, she “dubbed” the Morris SOC Station.
From 1983 to 1998, Lola went to work as a caregiver for friends of the family (Rosa Compton and Ida Mae Woods) in Summerville where she could be close to Jeannie. Driving back and forth from Kingstree every other weekend.
In 1998, Lola retired and sold her home in Kingstree (which “fittingly” the buyer wanted for a restaurant) and moved to Murrells Inlet. There her greatest of joys was cooking endless amounts of food (with the help of her beloved grandson Shane), having all her family gather and talk about the adventures in their lives. With laughter and a self-characterization “I was born with too much humor”, she would let her opinion be known.
Lola came to live with her “baby girl” Cheryl, where she would sit outside and “you-who” to all that passed by. Charming and flirtatious, she was showered with flowers, food, gifts and adoration by friends and neighbors. She loved being teased about all her boyfriends that called her sweetheart, songbird, and beautiful. She would tell everyone that came to visit that she loved them.
Lola loved holding her phone to her ear and listening to 60’s music and old gospel hymns. Singing “You are my sunshine” “If you’ve got the money” “I saw the light” and “Jesus Loves Me”
Brave and so very precious of heart, Lola will forever be cherished and loved “More than all the stars in the Sky” by her beloved family: children, Debrah Hardee of Aynor, Cindy (Rick) Tisdale of Socastee, Cheryl Harrelson of Surfside Beach, and Bryan (Linda) Morris of Surfside Beach; her adored “Nicky”, James Michael Griggs of Surfside; 2 bonus daughters, Kathy Vermeland of Andrews and Deborah “Little Deb” Scott of Murrells Inlet; grandchildren, Adam (Jolena) Hardee of Gallivants Ferry, Noah (Christy) Hardee of Gallivants Ferry, and Lindsy Morris of Myrtle Beach; great grandchildren, Mackenzie Forrett, Isaac Hardee, Layla Hardee, Emma Hardee, and Olivia Hardee; and sisters, Margie (Marvin) Stewart of Ashville, NC and Harriette (Max) Walker of Tucker, GA. In addition to her parents and her husband Harry, Lola was preceded in death by 2 sisters, Elise H. Scott and Jennie Lee Bowman, a much beloved grandson, Shane Harrelson, and sons-in-law, Luke Hardee and Rex Harrelson.
Graveside funeral services for Mrs. Morris will be held at 1 PM, Monday, November 18, 2024, at Williamsburg Cemetery. Her family will receive family and friends at Williamsburg Funeral Home before the funeral from 11:30 to 12:45 PM.
Online condolences may be sent to the family on the obituary page at www.WilliamsburgFuneralHome.com
Cindy, I remember your mom! You and I were in Brownies together, as well attending Kingstree UMC. Prayers for your family.
Debbie, Cindy, Sheryl and Bian, I am sorry for your loss. MS Lola was a beautiful person inside and out. I have so many cherished memories of being at your home. She made the best fresh cooked donuts in the morning. I can almost taste them as I think of her. She had the prettiest curly red hair. She did a wonderful job of raising four children to be good down to earth adults. I’m so proud to have had Debbie for my best friend since the first grade. Her sister’s and brother were also my friends. I always felt like part of you family. Those were the good times. I love you all. I know your mom is with the angels and Mr. Harry now. Much love, Emmie
What a beautifully written obituary, thoughts and prayers for the family
You were a wonderful daughter to your Mom may she rest in peaceGod bless you and yiur family
Cheryl, I am so touched by your sweet MOTHERS story. I am so sorry for your loss. May God be with you and your family in this difficult time. Much love to you and yours. Our dear Lord has your sweet Mother in his hands. I love you.
I remember Lola quite well, since I was a classmate of her sister, Margie Hudson Stewart, at Thornwell in Clinton, SC. Margie often spoke of her with great admiration, love and pride because Lola remained with her parents at home, working hard to help out on their farm while the sisters went to live at Thornwell. May you rest in peace, Lola.