Amy Lou Morrill

Amy Lou Morrill, age 52, of Lakeland Florida passed away at Lakeland Regional Hospital on the morning of October 31, 2023, surrounded by loved ones due to insurmountable complications that arose from heart surgery. Amy was born in Columbus Ohio on August 26, 1971, to her mother Ellen Perkins and her father Leslie Perkins, she was born the last of 5 siblings. Growing up, Amy watched and admired her parents' dedication to providing her and her siblings with the best life possible, which is where she began to develop her sense of selflessness that everyone who knew her came to know and admire. Amy attended Hamilton all throughout her school years up until her final year in which she graduated from Mcarther high school. She joined the workforce upon graduation and over the years she had various jobs before finding her perfect fit as a school nutritionist which was a job she kept for over 16 years and eventually worked her way up to a management position. Amy thoroughly enjoyed her work as she was a natural caregiver and leader with a passion to help people, especially children. She worked at a number of schools over her career, but she never failed to form bonds and leave her mark on her coworkers and the children she served everywhere she went. She took great pleasure in doing anything she could to bring a little happiness to her workplace and “her children” whether it was putting together gift bags, wearing goofy costumes on holidays or spending her own time putting together activities and decorating the lunchroom to bring a little more fun and joy to their days. Amy had many hobbies and interests throughout her life, but none come to mind more than her love of animals and of music. As anyone who knew Amy, even briefly, knew she absolutely adored cows and dogs and vowed she would have one hundred of each if she could but there was no animal, she would come across that she didn't have compassion for and she would treat each one with the utmost respect. As for music she had an open mind and listened to a wide variety of genres, but country music had a very special place in her heart, and it was a common occurrence to find her singing her favorite songs while going about her day or dancing through the kitchen cooking dinner for her family. Amy was preceded in death by her nephew James Perkins - her father Leslie Perkins - her mother Ellen Perkins and her sister Brenda Nixon. She is survived by her husband John Morrill - her brother Rusty Perkins - her sister Loretta Perkins - her sister Leslie Spillman (Mike Spillman) - her son Dalton keys (Angel Cain and granddaughter Iris keys) and her Daughter Kaitlyn Hughes (Jesse Hughes). Amy had a loving, open heart towards everyone she met but none so much as her family. If you were lucky enough to call yourself a member of Amy's family whether by blood or familiarity you knew the warmth of unconditional love. She was an extremely generous person in every sense of the word. She was always a shoulder to lean on in hard times, a helping hand if you found yourself with a task too big to handle and you could find her any day of the week searching for the perfect gift or “little treat” for someone that she loved. Amy became a mother to her son at the age of 21 and then became a mother again at the age of 27 to her daughter. Amy exemplified the meaning of a mother's love in each day she was alive, always striving to do better and to create the best life she could for her children and showing that love in a million small ways and through each interaction she had with the world. Amy of course learned this capability for love and compassion from her own parents to whom she was close with up until their passing, as well as watching her older siblings navigate through life all striving to emulate the example of their parents before them. Amy had a tight knit family growing up and that extended into her adult life, through life's up and downs the love and connection between them remained strong. Amy finally met her other half, the great love of her life, after her daughter was born. She met John at the age of 29 while working together and the two quickly became inseparable. She and John shared a perfectly imperfect love together for twenty years before getting married on June 25, 2020, and continued that love for another three years until her passing, it wasn't hard to see the love between the two of them whenever they were together. The last big love in Amy's life came in the form of her one and only grandchild. It was clear from the moment Amy learned she would have a granddaughter what kind of grandma she would be, one that was determined to do anything and everything within her control to help nurture this new life. You could see and hear the love in her voice whenever she spoke to or about her granddaughter as she proudly proclaimed “that's my grandbaby” to anyone who would listen. The two of them spent many hours cuddling, reading books and of course watching their favorite cartoons together and more days than not she would come home with a “little surprise” for her just to see the smile on her face. Amy was an equally committed life partner and wife as she was a mother, a daughter, a sister, a grandma and a friend. There is a quote that says, “Every story is a story about death. But perhaps, if we are lucky, our story about death is also a story about love.” This quote perfectly sums up Amy Morrill as a person because her story of death leaves behind an endless amount of love in the hearts of many. In lieu of flowers we request a donation in her name be made to the ASPCA of Florida.

Amy Lou Morrill

August 26, 1971 - October 31, 2023