STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Her childhood home on Roe Street, in the heart of West Brighton, was a hub of activity and “headquarters for the whole neighborhood,” Dolores Morris remembers fondly.

With a fresh ham or turkey in the oven and a pot of greens simmering on the stove, Dolores’s mother, Norcie, was always ready to nourish her six growing children, and anyone else who stopped by, with good food and a healthy dose of Southern hospitality.

“My mother made every day feel like Thanksgiving,” Dolores said. “Our house was a sanctuary to hundreds of children and the door was always open.”

And so it was fitting that Norcie passed away peacefully in her Roe Street home on March 18 after a full and joyous life as wife, mother, mentor and community volunteer – and as part of a family steeped in Staten Island history.

She was a few months shy of her 104th birthday.

A stylish woman who appreciated the importance of accessorizing, Norcie made sure her nails were polished and her lipstick fresh as she welcomed visits from family and friends during the final few weeks of her life, her daughter shared.

Born on June 28, 1921, the former Norcie Allen grew up with 10 brothers and sisters on the family farm in Fredericksburg, Va. Her parents, Dora and Ernest, gave her the name “Narcissus” at birth, after the yellow and white spring-flowering perennial, but she chose to shorten it.

Norcie first visited Staten Island when she was 15, joining her two older sisters for summer jobs as nannies. After graduating from high school in Falmouth, Va., she moved to the Island to attend nursing school at night while working as a nurse’s aide during the day.

She earned a licensed practical nurse (LPN) degree, and worked at the former U.S. Quarantine Station in Rosebank and as a podiatry nurse in Manhattan. In her spare time, Norcie enjoyed playing softball with the West Brighton Greensocks, an all-Black league.

Norcie met her future husband, William A. Morris Jr., during one of her summertime visits to Staten Island. He spotted her while selling ice cream cones at a church fund-raiser, “and was smitten immediately,” daughter Dolores shared.

They were married on Nov. 20, 1941, in Bethel Community Church, Tompkinsville, and lived on Barker Street before relocating to Roe Street in 1953 to raise their blended family of four biological children and two foster children.

Norcie’s husband, who died in 2018 at age 99, was a decorated World War II veteran and a descendant of the last slave sold on Staten Island. Intermediate School 61 in New Brighton is named in honor of his father, William A. Morris Sr.

Norcie served as a Girl Scout leader for 20 years, and as a leader for her husband’s Boy Scout Troop 47 for more than 30 years. The couple earned the Silver Beaver Award, Scouting’s highest civilian honor, for their leadership and long-term service to youth.

She was also active in local chapters of the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women, and volunteered with her husband to co-manage the Morris Softball League for 17 years.

Although raised in the Baptist faith, Norcie was a devoted member of Faith United Methodist Church in Port Richmond for more than 65 years. She served on the church council, the special events committee, the Wesley Circle and as a co-lay leader.

As dedicated fund-raisers for the church, the Morrises made a full renovation of the sanctuary possible. They also founded the Hunger and Lifestyle Committee, which continues to operate an active and expanded food pantry, carrying forward the Morris legacy.

Their tidy brick bungalow on Roe Street was often filled with music. Norcie enjoyed an eclectic mix of Gospel, Elvis Presley and Fats Domino while the children took piano lessons and played the drums. The couple never missed the St. Maarten’s Dance, a fundraiser for the Caribbean island held at the former Columbian Lyceum in West Brighton.

Norcie also enjoyed following the Mets and playing cards.

The Morrises took road trips to Norcie’s family farm in Virginia, and to visit their daughter, Dolores, at her vacation home in the Catskills. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1991 with a trip to the Bahamas, a gift from their children, and marked their 70th anniversary during a surprise party at LiGreci’s Staaten, West Brighton.

Dolores Morris reflected on her mother’s life and legacy.

“Norcie Morris was a ‘steel magnolia,’” exemplifying both traditional femininity and an uncommon fortitude, Dolores said. “She was reserved but strong-willed. She grew up in a Southern Baptist culture, where church was the center of everything, and carried that spirituality with her. She made everyone feel welcome, and made sure everyone was well-fed. No one was turned away. Knowing Norcie was knowing God’s presence here on Earth.”

In addition to her daughter, Dolores, Norcie Allen Morris is survived by a daughter, Joan M. Morris; a son, William A. Morris III, and two foster sons, Christopher Greene and Benjamin Greene. She was predeceased by her son, Robert H. Morris.

The family circle also includes four grandchildren, Dr. Tia Morris Welsh, Marcus Rogers, William A. Morris IV and Racquel Morris Brockett, and seven great-grandchildren.

A viewing will take place Monday at 10 a.m. in Faith United Methodist Church, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, Castleton Corners. Donations to the church can be made in Norcie Morris’s name.

Scamardella Funeral Home in Willowbrook is handling arrangements.