Constance Elrod Morrill, 84, of Winchester, Massachusetts, died of heart failure on June 1, 2006. The daughter of Harold Glenn Elrod and Gladys Fritz Elrod, she was born in Portland, Maine in 1921 and grew up in Massachusetts and Montreal, Canada.
Mrs. Morrill married Manning Cutter Morrill of Leominster, Massachusetts in 1942, just before he left for overseas duty in World War II. They were married for 58 years until his death in 2000, and raised four children. Mrs. Morrill was a great support to her husband in his career as a senior executive of W.R. Grace, and she devoted herself to creating a warm and loving home for the family in Winchester, Massachusetts, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Spartanburg, South Carolina, and New York, New York.
Mrs. Morrill pursued a keen interest in drama and theater as an actor, teacher, writer, and videographer. A graduate of the Bishop Lee School of Drama in Boston, she acted on radio and on the stage in New York, in regional theater and in local theater groups like the Winchester Players. In Spartanburg, she received rave reviews for her starring role in “Mame” and her portrayals of Eleanor of Acquitaine in “The Lion in Winter” and Eliza Gant in “Look Homeward Angel”. Mrs. Morrill taught drama and speech at a number of institutions, including the Studio of Speech and Expression, which she founded, in both Spartanburg and Winchester. She wrote “How to Speak Good American: a Popular Approach to the Improvement of Voice and Diction” and a screenplay “Dream Dancer” about the dreams and dilemmas of an aging widow. For Arlington, Massachusetts cable television, she produced “Art to Art Talks”, a series of interviews with local artists. A play reading group she founded in Winchester almost 30 years ago continues to meet monthly.
Mrs. Morrill had a long-standing interest in religious issues and wherever she lived, she took on a leadership role in the local Unitarian church. She was a Trustee of the People’s Church of Cedar Rapids, and she served as President of the fledgling Unitarian Fellowship of Spartanburg, which has since grown into a thriving church. At a time when few women preached from the pulpit, she delivered sermons including “Building the Unitarian Way”, and, as recently as 2001, she spoke on “Inventing God” at the Winchester Unitarian Church. At Abbot Academy (now part of Phillips Academy, Andover), she was invited to deliver the 1965 baccalaureate sermon, the first woman in the school’s history to be so honored.
Mrs. Morrill was an active citizen as well, and served on numerous community boards like Spartanburg’s Music Foundation and Family Service. She was a longstanding member of the Junior League and supported a range of charities, organizations and institutions. Local Massachusetts favorites included the Winchester Hospital, the Winchester Library, and the Jenks Senior Center.
Mrs. Morrill is survived by her four children and their spouses, Patricia Morrill and Edward Riegelhaupt of New York, New York, Allison Morrill and Clifford Rugg of Watertown, Massachusetts, Judith Morrill Hanes of Lewisville, North Carolina, and Manning Elrod Morrill and Kristina Färm-Morrill of Cumberland Center, Maine, as well as by eight grandchildren and their spouses.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 24 at 3:00 at the Winchester Unitarian Church, 478 Main St.,Winchester.