Joel David Morrison

Joel David Morrison, 53, of Ogden, Utah, died unexpectedly on May 21st, 2026.

Joel was born in Ogden, Utah, on September 25, 1972, to Dean and Lynda Morrison. As the fourth of six children, he spent a lot of time with his family and treasured his childhood and the memories he made with friends and family in northern Utah. Joel began his artistic craft alongside his mother and possessed a lifelong love for learning. He graduated from ClearfieldHigh in 1990 as the Sterling Scholar in Art, earning him a scholarship to Utah State. Joel also attended Weber State, where he worked in the CATS department and loved using computers as he explored many different art media. He deeply appreciated how technology could help him bring to life what he was striving to pull from his soul and share with the world.

Joel was an Artist in the purest sense of the title first and foremost. He explored the edges between every extreme to land somewhere on the continuum, then usually explored some more. Joel had a bottomless wellspring of curiosity and creativity, and the ability to help others understand very involved concepts visually. He felt like he had so much inside him bursting to be expressed; it drove him to be continually involved in personal projects centered on expressing and creating in some meaningful way, whether through visual diagrams, art pieces, or his writing. His passions drove him to publish two books, and he was writing a third before his death. His intelligence and unconventionality were unparalleled.

Joel was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Lynda Morrison.

He is survived by his companion of recent years, Melissa Peterson; his cherished children: Grey Michael Morrison (22), Wilde Nyal Morrison (18), Margaret (Maggie) May Maughan Morrison (15), and TigerLily Hannah Dawn Morrison (13), (and their mother, Elizabeth (Liz) Nessen Morrison); and Tuva Lane Rose Morrison (4), (and her mother, Camille Burgoyne).

He is also survived by his father, Roy Dean Morrison; his siblings, Jennifer (Scott) Kellerstrass, Kelly (Kathy) Morrison, Rachel (Matt) Lish, Ben (Mindy) Morrison, and Sara (Scott) Skamnes, and many nieces and nephews.

He was fiercely himself.

He will be deeply missed.