Morton's Funeral Home

The funeral directors will be inviting the public to remember loved ones they’ve lost in a special 45-minute service at its Bristol Road South head office. Guests attending the ceremony will have the opportunity to write a message of love on a memorial star, which will then be placed on Mortons’ giant Christmas tree. Sarah Case, Mortons’ assistant managing director, said: “Christmas is always such a poignant time of year for those who have lost someone close to them, but it’s also a time to give thanks and to reflect about those who are no longer with us. “Having an opportunity to place a memorial star on the tree means those memories can continue to shine out over the festive period. “It’s a wonderful time of year to remember those we have loved and lost, and we are privileged to help people share their memories.  “The joining together in the act of remembrance and celebration brings comfort to everyone.” Carol singing, along with the Band of the Droitwich Corps of the Salvation Army, is taking place that day with non-alcoholic refreshments available. Lee Evans and Kirsty Krober will also be joining in with the festivities, performing classics such as Kirsty McColl’s ‘Days’ to fit in with this year’s theme of relationships and how they shape us. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis so guests are encouraged to come early to avoid disappointment. If people are unable to attend but would like a memorial star completed, call 0121 476 9111 or email sarah@mortonsfunerals.co.uk.

Morton was Evanston's longest-serving and only black mayor in its 130-year history. A visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21 at First Church of God Christian Life Center, 1524 Simpson St. in Evanston. A funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. on Sept. 22 at Alice Miller Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road in Evanston. Interment will follow at Sunset Memorial Lawns, 3100 Shermer Road in Northbrook. Born on Dec. 8, 1918, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as the youngest of 10 children, Morton graduated Northwestern University in 1942 at a time when black students were still banned from living on its campus. While in Evanston, she met her future husband James Morton, who passed away in 1974. They lived for a time in Tuskegee, Alabama, and returned to Evanston in 1953. After a career as a teacher and principal in Evanston/Skokie District 65, where Morton broke the district's color barrier in 1957 when she moved from the segregated Foster School to become the only black educator at the all-white Nichols Middle School, she was appointed 5th Ward alderman in 1982. She was re-elected and served on the City Council until 1991. In 1993, Morton was elected mayor, the first Democrat and second woman to hold the office. She was re-elected three times before retiring in 2009. Evanston's Civic Center was renamed in her honor upon her retirement. Morton was remembered as a valuable mentor and maternal figure to members of the black community in Evanston, former District 65 school board member and Hecky's Barbecue owner Hecky Powell told the Chicago Sun-Times. He said Morton would call up young people who got into trouble and invite them over to her house. "She'd have you over there for a two-hour lecture," Powell recalled. Morton donated a collection of letters, clippings, speeches and more to Northwestern. Among them was an undated essay including Morton's reflections on growing up in North Carolina as the daughter of a schoolteacher and a businessman, according to a obituary fro...