Mia Francette Morris

Mia Morris of San Antonio, Texas, passed away on March 8, 2026, at the age of 59. Born on June 19, 1966, in Los Angeles, California, to Frank J. Riley Jr. and Nealie Ruth Alexander Riley, she grew up in a military family and attended Tinker Elementary School at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City before her family settled in San Antonio. She graduated from Sam Houston High School in 1984 and went on to earn both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Counseling from Wayland Baptist University.

Mia devoted her career to counseling and supporting young people. She served as a counselor at several San Antonio schools, most recently at MLK Academy and Essence Preparatory Public School, where she became a trusted source of calm, empathy, and guidance for students, families, and staff. Her connection to Essence began early, as she was among the small group who traveled to Austin to support the school’s authorization from the Texas Education Agency. A woman of deep faith, she was a longtime member of Lily of the Valley Baptist Church before becoming a foundational member of True Vision Church, where she served in praise dance, choir, youth ministry, community outreach, and as manager of the Café. She was known as a prayer warrior and a steady, compassionate presence.

Beyond her professional and church work, Mia gave generously of her time and leadership to the San Antonio community. She served as Commemorative Program Chair for the City of San Antonio’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission and volunteered for many years with the San Antonio Black Film Festival and the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, where she received the 2026 Ezekiel “EZ” Allen Legacy Award for Volunteerism. She loved photography, shopping, salsa dancing, and teaching salsa. She was rarely seen without one of her beloved baseball caps and found joy in life’s simple pleasures.

Mia was preceded in death by her father, Frank J. Riley Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Butler (Hosea III); her three cherished grandchildren, Hosea Butler IV, Jireh Butler, and Micah Butler, who called her “MeMa”; her mother, Nealie Ruth Riley; her sisters, Alma Reynolds (Michael), Shewanda Riley, and Natasha Merrill (Robert); her dear friends Shaunda Cooper and Jeanie Murphy; her church families; and a wide circle of relatives, colleagues, and friends whose lives were touched by her kindness, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to lifting others up.