Mark Raley Morris, 28, was reunited with his beloved Gramps on Saturday, March 27, 2021. Raley died of injuries sustained in a car accident in Atlanta, Georgia.
Born in Dothan, Alabama on June 14, 1992, Raley moved with his mother to Opelika in 1997 and graduated from Opelika High School in 2010. He attended Auburn University where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and earned a degree in biomedical sciences in 2016. He was an original employee for the start-up company FullStory.
Everything was an adventure for – and with – Raley. He loved the finer things in life, had a keen eye for fashion, especially shoes, enjoyed many music genres and in the past few years, had become a frequent international traveler. He and his Gramps shared a passion for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Raley was a fiercely loyal friend who loved to laugh and to make others laugh. He was an avid skateboarder for many years and continued to follow the sport, even after hanging up his board.
Raley was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Mark “Gramps” Keirn; paternal grandfather Max Folsom Morris Jr. and his paternal step-grandfather Jimmy “Paw Paw” DeLamar. He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Shannon and Jamie DeLamar of Opelika; his father, Max F. Morris III of Dothan; sister Landon DeLamar of Opelika; and brother Paxton DeLamar of Orlando, Florida; maternal grandmother, Julie “JuJu” Keirn of Opelika (formerly of Ozark); paternal grandmother, Jacquie “Dada” Moore-Warren of Dothan; his paternal step-grandmother Joyce “Nana” DeLamar of Opelika; several aunts, uncles and cousins and his canine sidekick, Remi.
He is also survived by his close childhood friends: Bo Larkin and Matt DuBose of Auburn; Corey Lyerly of Montgomery; Garrett Dagostin of Columbus, Georgia; Joel Alvarado of Opelika; Steven Alvarado of Killeen, Texas; and Anna Asbury Larkin of Atlanta; his godmother, Kate Asbury Larkin; many Sigma Chi fraternity brothers and several friends from Dothan. A special thank you to Kennethia Holmes and Roderick Clark for stopping at the accident, trying to help Raley, rescuing Remi and staying with Raley until paramedics arrived; they were truly angels among us.
A Celebration of Life service was held at First United Methodist Church in downtown Opelika on April 1 at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Dr. Tim Thompson officiating.
Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home and Crematory handled arrangements.