Walter Markley Morris Jr.

Markley was born in Edgartown, Massachusetts on May 28, 1933 to Walter Markley Morris, Sr. and Grace Elaine Weiler. He was first raised as a Congregationalist and then, after age 12, was with the Episcopal church.

He reported first attending the San Francisco Friends Meeting about 1962. He was accepted into membership by convincement in 1964. That year he married Sonja Lee Schultz. The marriage ended a year later and he left San Francisco. He resigned his membership in 1977. Later that year, he returned to California and attended the Santa Cruz Monthly Meeting.

Markley moved back to San Francisco around 1985 and started attending worship in April of 1994 at the Noe Valley/Bernal Heights worship group which met near his home. He was admitted to membership a second time in the San Francisco Monthly Meeting on June 11, 1995.

Mark (as he was called then) served on the Religious Education committee 1964-65. Markley served on the Ministry & Oversight Committee (as it was called then) from 1999 - 2003 and on the Welcoming Committee from 2016 - 2017.

Markley was a strong advocate for peace in many ways. He created the San Francisco Friends Meeting Peace Vigil which was held at the corner of Larkin and Golden Gate streets in front of the Federal Building for 20 years. His creative works included writing, acting and directing several films and designing graphics for the anti-war effort and LGBTQ issues. His inclusion in the GLBT Historical Society Museum in the Castro is of significance and speaks to the work of his life as an activist and gay man. His artwork can be seen on the covers of several San Francisco Friends Meeting directory booklets.

Markley died on December 23, 2025 in Menlo Park, CA.