Morrell remembered for working behind the scenes for community

A good friend; a competitor on the ball field; a real community asset; a person who did so much behind the scenes; and someone who never forgot where he came from those were just some of the remembrances being shared by those who were lucky enough to know Stoney Morrell.Morrell, longtime president of Morrell Family Attractions, which operates Story Land and Heritage New Hampshire, died Sunday evening, Oct. 22, at his home in Glen. He was 50. He had struggled with mouth cancer over the past two years."A strong but silent oak has fallen," said Carl Lindblade, a longtime friend of Morrell.Sut Marshall spent a lot of time with his good friend and savored every moment."When I heard about Stoney I thought I'd be prepared as we spent some quality time together this past year," he said Tuesday, "but the shock still hit and I have a hollow feeling in my stomach. Some things never seem right, and this is one of them to have someone who has done so much for so many to be taken from us way too soon, it will always hurt. "Taking over the reins at Story Land and Heritage from his dad and mom was no easy task as those were very big shoes to fill, but he did it with the same purpose as his folks," Marshall continued. "His family, the employees, who are his extended family, and the people who visited Story Land and Heritage were treated with courtesy and respect Bob and Ruth would be proud. ... Often early mornings I would see the Story Land bus picking up area students to bring them to Story Land to work as well as the Berlin/Gorham bus headed north for North Country employees. There is no way to measure the positive impact of not hundreds but thousands of lives that benefited from working with Stoney. These young people received a practical education in performing hard work and achieving high goals and the importance of community service."Marshall praised Morrell for his love of community."In regard to his community and giving back, Stoney didn't have the word 'no' in his vocabulary," he said. "Any fund-raiser to benefit the young, middle aged, senior citizens or visitors to the Mount Washington Valley could always count on Story Land, Heritage or the Morrell Family to step up and ask how they could help."Morrell and Marshall also shared a love of horses."During this past year when Stoney was battling cancer we would meet at my barn and harness up the horse for a drive together," Marshall said. "Not once did he ever complain about pain or what was happening. He said how much he wanted to brush the horse and inhale the small of the barn and the animals. He and I agreed that the outside of the horse is good for the inside of a man. On our last trip together with Stoney driving, we had the opportunity to share many of our thoughts and dreams which I will always treasure. Upon returning the horse to the stall, Stoney flexed his arm muscle and announced, 'This is a much better way to get strong than physical therapy.' My time with him this past year and his devoted sister Nancy will be an inspiration to me to do better giving back to our community. Stoney will be missed but never forgotten."Others praised Morrell's commitment to his community."When people die, people always say good things about them, but in Stoney's case they are all legit," said Bob Burns, who coached Morrell in baseball at Kennett High and maintained a lifelong friendship with his former second baseman. Morrell was a member of the state championship baseball team in 1974 and always followed the Eagles, no matter what the sport."I knew he had been fighting (cancer)," Burns said Tuesday, "but it was still a terrible shock. We'd usually see him every summer when we took the grandkids up to Story Land. ... Stoney was part of a team that I will never forget. It was a deal where the chemistry was just right. Stoney was one of the more serious athletes I had. He was the embodiment of dedication and hard work he was so focused I'm sure that probably carried over to the business world. "As a second baseman, he was so steady," Burns continued. "He was also good clutch hitter, able to foul off pitch after pitch and then get the big hit. While baseball was all business, you could tell how much he enjoyed it. (Laughing) At my age now if I had to reproduce any of those bus rides with that team I wouldn't last more than one. ... I can't say enough nice things about Stoney. He was always very affable and friendly, but pretty intense when it came to sports. He was one of the few ball players who was a real student of the game, he loved every aspect of the game. ... He and his dad (Bob Morrell) helped (the baseball team) out a lot over the years. Back when (the late) George Davidson and I did summer baseball, we always needed something and Stoney and Bob were right there for us."Bob Morrell (1920-1998) and his wife, Ruth, founded Story Land and Heritage-NH.Bartlett Selectman Gene Chandler said Morrell did so much for the community behind the scenes and recalled his friend coming to the forefront in 2001 when the town had an opportunity to purchase the former Bartlett Hotel property, which is now the site of a park in Bartlett Village."The property went up for sale, and as a town we have no authority to buy something like that unless it goes through town meeting first," Chandler recalled. "I approached Stoney and said, 'Look we're in a bind here financially and this might be something beneficial for the town.' He went ahead and funded the money to buy the property ($75,000) with the knowledge that (reimbursement) might be turned down at town meeting. At town meeting, it was unanimously approved by the voters, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Stoney for making it happen. We would have been sunk without him, and who knows what would have been where the park is today."... Stoney was always very civic minded," Chandler continued. "If the community needed money for something he felt was worthwhile or a place to hold an event, Stoney always stepped up. His passing is a tremendous loss for the whole valley, not just Bartlett, who was so fortunate to have him live here, but I think the whole state lost someone special. He was one of the good guys."Chandler also recalled playing softball against Morrell in the Saco Valley Softball League in North Conway. "Stoney was a shortstop on a rival team," he said. "He played for years and was as competitive as they come on the diamond."In 2004, Morrell continued his generosity by purchasing North Conway Fire Department's ladder truck for $15,000 and giving it to the Town of Bartlett.Longtime volunteer firefighter Dan Noel worked behind the scenes for 18 months to find a home for the 1978 truck in Mount Washington Valley."To me," Noel said, "Story Land seemed like a natural. When it opened in 1955 the first ride it ever had was Freddie the Fire Truck. ... They started out a half century ago with a fire engine and now as they go into the second half what better thing to do for the town then to give them a fire engine? I approached Jack Mahany at Story Land, and he brought the idea to Stoney and said he loved it."Josiah Bartlett Elementary School Principal Joe Voci said Morrell continually supported the school. "He did a ton for this school," Voci said. "He wasn't one of those people giving and looking to be in the front of the camera. No one really knew how much he did for people, and he wanted to keep it that way."Voci credits Morrell with helping to make the school's maple sugaring shack a reality."It's called Stoney's Sugar Shack," he said. "He donated all the trees and had them cut for the building. Whenever we needed something he was there and always gave back. Look at Golden Goose Days (an event where students sell tickets for rides at Story Land). Our kids sell a ton of tickets, and Stoney gave all of that money back to the school. There's probably 10,000 other things he gave to our school. He was a great guy. It's a very sad day."Morrell, who is survived by family members, wife, Foley; son, Taber, 18; and daughter, Halie, 16, was one of the first people to get behind the Conway Area Humane Society, making a $15,000 donation to the project. In 2001, two years before it opened, he purchased the puppy room at the facility, now located on 24 acres just east of Conway Village. Morrell said at the time the reason he got involved with the humane society is because it's "going to be so much more than a shelter or kennel." "Stoney sees the human connection with what we're trying to do," Roz Manwaring, then-executive director, said. "We're delighted to have Stoney and Story Land involved. This truly is going to be a community facility."Morrell was also honored individually this year by the Northern N.H. Charitable Trust with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Lindblade, nominated him for the award, which "is only be given to an individual to recognize exceptional leadership, vision and commitment to the North Country. To be eligible for nomination, the nominee must demonstrate compelling involvement around the region as well as advocacy for the North Country. Candidates will have had an impact on the entire region; and people from around the state will know of them and their accomplishments. The ideal candidate will have a recognizable volume of participation and will exemplify an attitude of community service.In the nomination process, Lindblade was asked to describe how Morrell had distinguished himself in support of the North Country and its communities."Stoney took over the complete operation of Story Land and Heritage while his dad was still alive," Lindblade wrote. "When Bob Morrell died, Stoney, in a very quiet way continued and strengthened the tradition of Morrell Family civic involvement."Lindblade offered the following examples: Mother Goose Days. Stoney turns over all the Morrell Family Attraction Resources to ANY North Country organization that wants to get out, work, sell tickets and raise money for their particular enterprise. The Busy Bee initiative. This rewards young folks who, by demonstrating community involvement, are "rewarded" with visits to Story Land. The Park in Bartlett. When the old hotel in town burned down the lot sat as an eyesore. Stoney quietly worked behind the scenes to purchase the land for the town and then led the effort to clean it up and create a park. The gazebo in the above park was built from timber cut from his own land, adding a truly authentic New Hampshire touch to the project. Story Land is always there with strong financial support for any worthwhile enterprise such as Memorial Hospital, Carroll County Area Humane Society, Ham Arena, Red Cross, Polar Express, Project Graduation to name a few.Lindblade was asked to comment on Morrell's leadership skill and ability to engage and work with other people to build stronger, more effective community organizations and resources."Stoney has a quiet leadership style," Lindblade wrote. "He labors under the dual challenge of terminal cancer and other illness in his family. Yet he's empowered his business team so that Story Land continues to not only operate but grow. For the 50th Anniversary of Story Land research showed that his customers did not really care about this milestone but his employees did. Armed with that he expanded the whole enterprise by nearly 50 percent over two years."Lindblade praised the Morrell family for their family approach with employees. "They very much sought people who would fit into a team," he said by telephone Tuesday. "... Story Land's crooked plywood buildings are no different than probably at other attractions, but the difference is the delivery in service the Morrells understood that. ... I can easily say Stoney's contribution to the community was in the same league as his parents' he wasn't in anyone's shadow."