Wayne McMorris, former face of the Capital Press, dies at 84

Published 12:34 pm Monday, September 19, 2022

Wayne McMorris, who was the face of the Capital Press for decades at agricultural shows and other events around the Northwest, died Sept. 4 in Spokane.

He was 84 years old.

In 1988, Wayne began a part-time job with the Capital Press that spanned nearly three decades, selling newspaper subscriptions door-to-door and attending trade shows and farm auctions. 

“My dad got the Capital Press when I was a kid,” he said in a 2017 interview marking his retirement. “I’ve read the Capital Press since I was 10 or 12 years old.

“I’ve always been an agriculture guy,” he said. “I didn’t play sports in high school because I wanted to go home and be on the farm. I’m truly a farm boy.”

Wayne Arlan McMorris was born Feb. 9, 1938, to Cleo and Veneta (Kaser) McMorris in Silverton, Ore., and graduated in 1955 from South Salem High School.

He then became an orchardist in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

In 1964, he married Corene Belle Robinson. The family immigrated to Canada in 1975 and bought a homestead in Hazelton, B.C., where they developed a working farm and built a house from logs they peeled by hand. They also owned and operated the local Sears catalog store, according to an obituary that appeared in the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

In 1984, they moved to Kettle Falls,  Wash., where they owned and operated the Peachcrest Fruit Basket Orchard and Fruit Stand for 15 years raising cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, and apples.

Wherever Wayne lived, he was involved in local churches, Farm Bureau, his children’s school activities, and Republican political organizations. For many years, he was president of the Kettle Falls Chamber of Commerce.

Divorced in 1998, Wayne moved to Spokane. He was active with the Sinto Senior Center, serving as board chairman for the last 14 years.

Always the farmer, Wayne started hundreds of vegetable and flower plants every spring to share with family and friends.

His political instincts, honed from a lifetime of political involvement and the vast network of people he touched, allowed him to guide candidates and organizations, and accurately predict election outcomes. 

Wayne is survived by his daughter, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and her husband, Brian, and their children Cole, Grace, and Brynn; his son, Jeffrey McMorris and his wife, Sarah, and their children Kate, Reagan, Conner, and Halle; his nephew, Gordon McMorris and his wife, Joanne, of Kuna, Idaho and close friends Josh and Aimee Maurer and family. He was preceded in death by his half-brother, Gordon McMorris; and his sister, Cleta Mae McMorris.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sinto Senior Activity Center in Spokane.

Arrangements were by Hennessey Funeral Home, 2203 N. Division St., Spokane.