Former Director of Redding's Mark Twain Library, Heather Catherine Morgan has Died

Heather Catherine Morgan, 2/28/45 - 8/13/20

Heather, beloved wife of Jeff, and loving sister of Christine and Virginia. Heather was born in Bradford, England, on February 28, 1945, but her parents, Eric and Kit Benbow, soon moved to Essex, and she grew up in Chelmsford near London with her sisters. After leaving school Heather began work as a librarian, which she found to be both a rewarding career, and a calling that she loved. She met her husband, Jeff, while studying for a library degree at Newcastle on Tyne Polytechnic.

Shortly after graduating, she moved to Birmingham, England, to continue her career, and to rejoin Jeff, and they got married there in 1973. Heather enjoyed hiking and camping with Jeff all over the United Kingdom and Europe, and they had some wonderful trips, exploring France, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy. In 1983 Jeff’s job took them to Toronto, Canada, and although Heather missed her library work she enjoyed her time in Toronto and found great satisfaction in her volunteer work with disadvantaged children and adults.

Once again, Jeff’s job intervened, this time moving him to Connecticut in 1985, and they settled in Redding, where they currently reside. Heather was a professional librarian throughout her career, but without doubt her favorite position was that of Director, Mark Twain Library, Redding. The library was founded by a bequest from Mark Twain, who was a resident of the town, and Heather researched the MTL connection with Twain with great energy and enthusiasm, reaching out to partner with the Mark Twain House in Hartford.

After 10 years of successfully leading the library, Heather retired on June 30 2011. She was very proud of the work she did at the library, especially the development of the Mark Twain connection. In addition to her love of books, she was a great lover of the arts, and was a long time member of the NY ballet, opera, and concerts. She was an enthusiastic amateur painter, and loved her flower garden and the wildlife in it. Her other great love was her dogs, especially her English Setters Sam, and particularly Chance, and as a member of ROAR, with Chance as her therapy dog, she visited local schools, and care homes. She enjoyed Aquatic Exercise at Wilton Y, and especially the coffee afterwards with her friends. Her sweet smile, her charm, and her ready laughter, brought out kindness and smiles from all those that she touched.