Jeanne Kay Morgan; 1959-2024

Jeanne Kay Morgan has passed away and now there are less decibels in the world. She never shied away from an opinion nor passed up the opportunity to express one. Her intellect was fierce, and caustic confrontation was her love language—if you never crossed swords with Jeanne, you may not have known her.

There is an old home movie of Jeanne barrel racing as a young girl—the barrels won. She circled each barrel twice and it summed up Jeanne in celluloid, always one to place pattern over timeliness, she did it her way.

She devoted her life to cattle and the people that loved them. She worked as an award-winning ag journalist in Nebraska and beyond writing for Nebraska Farmer and High Plains Journal. Her love for showing cattle brought her back to fitting and showing for herds in Australia, Texas and the Northern Plains. Eventually, she put her creativity to use producing catalogs. Through making sale catalogs she was able to be involved, to have an impact, and to nudge breeding programs towards what she thought was right—circling barrels twice each time.

We celebrate her life because it was a good one. She developed strong personal friendships and connections, she was ever loyal and ever difficult, she never coasted or faded into the wallpaper. When Jeanne was there, she was THERE, living in the moment and creating a story. Her eyes were always open. Close family friends would often say, “That’s Jeanne”—she was a genre of a person.

Jeanne had an incredible creative side. She was driven to produce things. If you knew Jeanne, you probably have a bucket with rope tied around it. She collected trinkets and treasures that filled her life. Whether it was interpersonal relationships or just “things” she loved surrounding herself with meaning.

Jeanne was a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a relative. She is survived by three brothers, Daniel, Ronald (Kay) and Jason; niece and nephews Carrie (Cam), John (Amber), Roger (Tayor), Patrick (Jessica), Ulysses, Perseus, Leo Theseus, and a crop of other generations. Also, a dog, Toby, who loved her very much.

Jeanne, despite all the chaos, was everyone’s favorite. She will be missed, and she is still loved.

In lieu of flowers, please memorialize Jeanne with a donation to the junior livestock association of your choice. When the weather warms, another celebration will be held in the hills that Jeanne loved.