History & Staff

A native and lifelong resident of Asheville, Gus, Sr. retired in 1990 from day to day funeral home management operations. He was a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill with a BS in Business Administration, he is a veteran of the US Marine Corp and has been a licensed funeral director since 1962. He was formerly active in various civic organizations. He and his wife, Mary reside in Asheville. In addition to his son, Gus, Jr. he has a daughter, Lisa, four grandchildren, a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter.

Gus joined the family business in 1985 and has been a licensed funeral director for more than 30 years. He became the fourth generation at the helm of Morris Funeral Home following his father’s retirement in 1990. A native of Asheville, he graduated from Asheville High School in 1978 and was a psychology major at UNC-Asheville. He is a member of First Presbyterian Church, Asheville and active in many clubs and organizations. Gus enjoys many outdoor activities including spending time on the water, off road motorcycling and camping off the grid. He and his wife, Vicki have a special affinity for out west and spend as much time as they can in Utah, Arizona and Colorado. He is the proud father of two sons, Seth and Aaron. Seth is the fifth generation to work in the family business. Aaron was in the United States Air Force and passed away in 2012 at the young age of 25. Gus and Vicki adore time with their grandson, Abram and their granddaughter, Reynolds and reside here in Asheville with their two dogs, Hercules and Pink.

Teri is a licensed funeral director in both North and South Carolina. She started her career at Morris Funeral & Cremation Care in 1998 as the Administrative Assistant. She earned her North Carolina Funeral Directors License in September 2003 and her South Carolinas Funeral Directors License in May, 2010 after moving to Charleston, SC.

Her tenure as a Funeral Director has taken her from the Blue Ridge mountains in Asheville where she made her home for more than 28 years, to the coast of South Carolina and finally to the Piedmont area of Huntersville NC. Returning to Asheville and serving the families of Buncombe County has been a quiet heart’s desire for Teri. We welcome Teri back on staff and we look forward to the future as Teri will serve as Funeral Director, Advanced Planning Funeral Director and Grief Counselor on our staff.

After the death of her son, Aaron, Teri trained to be a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist and she also facilitates GriefShare with her church. Teri believes being a Funeral Director and a Grief Recovery Specialist are the two ministries that God has blessed her with. “It is such a privilege to journey alongside of those who grieve. So many family, friends and even strangers ministered to me at the time of Aaron’s death that I promised if I were ever presented with an opportunity to serve others in the same way, I would consider it a blessing to do so.”

Amber B. Marsden was born and raised in Rutherford County, NC. She moved to Buncombe County about a decade ago.

She and her husband, Daniel Marsden, live in South Asheville. She has one son, Timmy, and one furbaby, a mini Australian shepherd, Jozy.

For over ten years, Amber has been a noteworthy leader in the funeral industry. She is a committed funeral director and embalmer. Driven by her mother's passing at a young age, she takes pride in providing meaningful services to comfort and help families during one of the most challenging times in their lives. She is proud to be a part of the Morris team.

Amber holds an A.A.S. Degree in Funeral Service Education from Fayetteville Technical Community College, where she graduated with honors and an A.A. Degree from A.B. Technical Community College. Amber graduated from Western Carolina University with a B.S.B.A. in Business Administration; she was on the Chancellor's Highest Honors List.

She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and playing golf. Amber and her husband are certified scuba divers and enjoy traveling to different parts of the world to dive.

The member with the longest tenure of the Morris Funeral Home staff, Pat has been working with this family since 1968. As the caretaker of the precious antiques and furnishings at the facilities, she is responsible for keeping the building beautiful. Often, Pat will be found caring for the staff, making sure we have the TLC needed to continue to care for the families we serve. Pat was married to Gilbert Hall for over 45 years before his death in July of 2002. She and Gilbert raised five children and they have fourteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.