Friends, family mourn tragic death of Florence Wyatt-Morris killed in Napanee collision

Florence Wyatt-Morris died suddenly and violently on Tuesday afternoon.

The 88-year-old woman’s vehicle was struck by an SUV, that was speeding away from police on Highway 2.

Florence was very active in the town of Napanee where she lived. Her family, friends and many in the community are struggling to come to terms with the loss.

Father Richard Hetke is the rector at Napanee’s St. Mary of Magdeline Anglican Church where Wyatt-Morris attended service every week with one of her stepdaughters.

In his nine years at the Robinson Street church, he says he got to know a woman of profound faith.

“I think of the word confidence, she had a real confidence that God was in charge and that God was in charge of her life.”

Hetke says family, friends and her fellow parishioners are just beginning to grapple with her death.

“In many deaths, we have a bit of time to prepare for it, for the loss of our loved ones, but this case, it’s just complete shock and there’s a numbness that comes with it.”

Wyatt-Morris was a woman who gave much of her time to the church filling many roles, according to Hetke.

“She was involved in our soup and sandwich ministry, she was involved in our alter guild ministry, setting up the alter, cleaning up the alter, cleaning the vessels.”

Also a member of the Lennox & Addington Horticultural Society, Hetke says she applied her love of gardening to maintaining the grounds of the church and building the Trinity Garden.

“She actually moved the stones here and created the garden, created the space, moving the stones, setting it up and tending to it every year and it was always beautiful.”

Wyatt-Morris, also spent decades volunteering at the hospital in Napanee.

She started in 1989, and volunteer co-ordinator Beryl Jacka worked with her for 20 of those years.

“Actually, I was devastated at first of all, of course, then I was so angry, this wonderful person was just travelling along into town in her car and got hit head-on by this insane driver.”

Many of Wyatt-Morris’ roles involved working with the public, says Jacka.

“Right up her ally because she greets people as they come in, and everybody’s so anxious to see her and talk to her.”

Wyatt-Morris, a woman that friends say was young beyond her years, is survived by four children, four stepchildren, 16 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Her funeral will be held at St. Mary of Magdeline Anglican Church on Tuesday at 11 a.m.