2023 Tri-Cities valedictorian collapses and dies after half marathon at college
Friends and relatives of a 2023 Southridge High valedictorian are working to honor the memory of the college sophomore who had a passion for animals and nature.
Camryn Morris died suddenly after completing a half-marathon April 5 in Corvallis, Ore.
She crossed the finish line and then collapsed into the arms of a friend due to cardiac arrest, her family said her obituary.
She was 19 and attending her second year at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
'Camryn was always full of zeal and had the most generous heart,' a friend posted on her obituary page. '... She had so many talents from painting to baking to calligraphy but one of her greatest gifts was her ability to love and serve the ones around her.'
In honor of her love for forests, wildlands and animals, her family started two GoFundMe fundraisers.
She enjoyed hiking and exploring the McDonald-Dunn OSU Research Forest as a way to take a break from studying, they said.
Donations will pay for a bench to be placed along one of the forest trails. Already, the fundraiser had raised $5,500 toward the $3,000 goal, with the rest to be donated to other forests or wildlands projects in Oregon or Washington.
The other fundraiser is to benefit the nonprofit Heartland Humane Shelter & Care, an animal rescue center.
Morris enjoyed many hours helping with the animals at the clinic, they said.
'We believe Camryn would want to help Heartland continue their mission so that future animals and OSU students can continue to make this connection,' her family said on the GoFundMe site.
Morris' love of travel inspired many family trips with parents Jeff and Michele Morris and brother Kaden to national parks through the United States and Canada.
She formed the business Camryn's Canvas for her artwork, and also was a tennis player. For two years she was captain of the Southridge varsity team.
At college she liked to hike local trails, attend concerts and clean up beaches. She also was her dorm's eco-representative until moving into an apartment with friends her sophomore year, according to her obituary.
The mother of one of her roommates posted that she loved seeing photos of Morris' adventures and treasured the thoughtfulness Morris showed in decorating and having a cake for her daughter's birthday.
A celebration of life is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at South Hills Church in Kennewick.
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