A00409 - The Unfinished Business of Morgan Venezia
- In preparation for the Black Alumni Memorial Service held on May 31, 2025, there were many moving In Memory pieces and obituaries. However, for me, the obituary that moved me the most was the obituary for the youngest addition to the list Morgan Venezia, Amherst College Class of 2015.After reading Morgan's obituary, it struck me that if we truly are sisters and brothers, then perhaps we can be just that when a member of our community transitions leaving behind some unfinished business.I encourage everyone to read about Morgan Venezia and to see if you are moved as I was to do something positive to finish some unfinished business.Peace,Everett "Skip" JenkinsClass of 1975July 1, 2025
Morgan's obituary
Morgan Ashly Venezia (née Brown), “Mo” to many, passed away on 4 May, 2022, after a years-long battle with depression and anxiety.
Born on 27 June, 1993, to Amber Russell and Micheal Brown in Santa Monica California, Morgan spent her childhood living in California with her mother. She graduated from Pacific Grove High School in 2011 and in 2015 earned a dual-bachelors degree from Amherst College, both in Theatre & Dance and Psychology.
On 19 December 2015, Morgan married Anthony Venezia, forever forcing her to spell her name out when making phone calls. Morgan was working at Starbucks at the time, and Anthony was a regular customer. She would take extra special care with his orders and deliver them to his table while he studied, and their love took off like a whirlwind.
Morgan and Anthony had two daughters, Zuri Annette and Lucy James, born in 2019 and 2020. The girls were born in South Korea, while Morgan and Anthony were stationed there. As with any Army family, Morgan and Anthony lived in: Fort Campbell, Tennessee; Daegu, South Korea; and San Antonio, Texas; in addition to small stints in-between in Los Angeles, California and Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Morgan is survived by her parents, Amber and Rob Kerchner, her husband Anthony, and her daughters Zuri and Lucy.
A private celebration of life will take place, in one of the places in which she was the most happy, where the people who loved her most can share how Morgan touched their lives. In lieu of flowers, which Morgan always said ‘just die anyway and are a waste of money,’ she would have preferred books presented to Zuri and Lucy or a donation to their college fund.
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Many of us met Morgan by first seeing her brilliant smile and sincerity in her eyes. Stunningly beautiful and warm hearted, she was magnetic and attracted people quickly into her group. She was quick to laugh and quick with sarcastic jokes, always one step ahead of most of us. Her love was deep and she was strong. She always showed her strong and extroverted side anywhere she went, though most who knew her also knew the tender love she was capable of, the moments of vulnerability she would share with us were few but showed us who she truly cared for.
She was master of detail, always remembering the little thing you mentioned six months ago, the movie you said you loved, the book you wanted, or a food you liked. She lived to use this impeccable memory and attention to detail on birthdays and holidays. Nobody threw a birthday party like Morgan, though she was quick to credit her mom for showing her the ropes as a little girl.
As an avid yogi and health buff, she ate vegan and would be found in the yoga studio or walking the neighborhood - but just as often walking with her yoga mat! She aspired to finish her yoga teacher training and share her mindfulness and spiritual yoga practice with others.
Her daughters knew her as their protector. When they fell, were tired, were hungry, or when Daddy did something wrong, she was their shelter and always ready for a hug. They were often found in the living room, doing yoga together, or in the play room, rocking out to Baby Shark and building creations. She tried to take them on a walk every day, or to the pool, or to the playground, or all three! All three girls slept together most nights, cuddled up in their sanctuary, which Morgan painstakingly curated with art, books, stuffed animals, and unicorn sheets.
Morgan was an amazing wife, who, luckily for me, chose a life as an Army Wife. My Army Wife. In the early days, she treated our pup, Pepe, just like she eventually would to our daughters. When I came home from work, they’d greet me at the door and fight over who got to jump on me first. Or I would find them cuddled up in the windowsill, Morgan nose deep in a book and Pepe nose deep in a new bone. As we moved across the world, our family grew, and Morgan’s role as an Army Wife grew with it. Although challenging, she made it look easy. Most who met her had no idea any of her many jobs of being a Mom, being a Wife, being an Army Wife, and the myriad of projects she surrounded herself with, was anything but easy for her.
Although a complex woman, Morgan was a warm acquaintance, a fierce friend, a loving mother, and an amazing wife, someone all of us can say we are better for having her in our lives. Her loss is devastating for our daughters and me, but a loss shared upon those whose lives she touched across the world as she went along. I will trust all of you to help me explain to her amazing daughters, which already are so much like she was, who their mom really was, and why she was such an amazing person, why the world is so much worse without her in it. Why our lives are so much worse, without her in them.
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