Bobby Kee Morris Bobby Kee Morris was born on May 25, 1933, in Indian Wells to Charlie and Alice Morris. Bobby passed peacefully in his sleep on July 21, 2022. His clans are Kin lichii’nii (Red House Clan) born for Tse`nji`kini` (Cliff Dweller Clan). He had three brothers, Joe, Sam and Johnnie, and one sister, Zena. He was sent to a boarding school and left when he was in third grade. He returned to Indian Wells and helped his parents work on the family ranch. In 1960, he married Colletta Joe and moved to Holbrook. It was during this year that he began working for the Petrified Forest National Monument. In 1962, the Petrified Forest transitioned to a national park. He was hired as one of the first full-time employees doing maintenance work. His brother, Johnnie, later on also took a job for the park. He had five children with Colletta: Melvin (Carol), Angela (Pete), Angelica (Joel), Angelisa, and Bobby Jr. Bobby and Colletta split ways and he moved to the Petrified Forest. He met Jeannie Milford in 1986. Together they had three children, Bobbie Jean (Juan), Shelby and Shelly (Grantley). In 2004, Bobby and his brother Johnnie, had a street named after them in Holbrook, near the PFNP housing to honor their years of service. Bobby continued working for the Petrified Forest until 2014. Both him and his brother Johnnie retired together, having over 100 years of combined employment with the national park. He loved visiting with the tourists. He would have paint on his uniform, and they would ask what his job was. He jokingly replied, “I am the one who painted the desert.” Bobby always had a brilliant smile on his face. He continued to live in the place he loved to be. Owens Livingston Mortuary of Holbrook handled the arrangements.
