John Hal Elder, Jr.^{[1, 2]}

1924 - 2007  (83 years)

• Name	John Hal Elder
  Suffix	Jr.
  Born	26 Jun 1924	Tennessee
  Gender	Male
  Census	1940	District 7, Sevier County, Tennessee   [3]
  Died	4 Oct 2007  [4, 5]
  Buried	Culpeper National Cemetery, Culpeper, Virginia
  Person ID	I128635	Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest
  Last Modified	15 Oct 2017

  
  

  Father	John Hal Elder,   b. 11 Jul 1894, Tennessee ,   d. 10 Apr 1975  (Age 80 years)
  Mother	Hattie Louise Trammell,   b. 23 Sep 1904, Tennessee ,   d. 2003  (Age 98 years)
  Family ID	F47401	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family	Lura Kennedy
  Married	Abt 1955
  Children	+ 1. John H. Elder, III + 2. Steven F. Elder + 3. Joseph W. Elder   4. Jane Elizabeth Elder,   b. 7 Apr 1961,   d. 15 Aug 2012  (Age 51 years) + 5. Susan E. Elder
  Family ID	F176515	Group Sheet

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 26 Jun 1924 - Tennessee Census - 1940 - District 7, Sevier County, Tennessee Buried - - Culpeper National Cemetery, Culpeper, Virginia  = Link to Google Maps   = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 10 Apr 1975. John Hal Elder obituary [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 10 Dec 1973. Dorothy Catlett obituary [S112] Census, 1940. Name Hal Elder Titles and Terms Jr Event Type Census Event Date 1940 Event Place Civil District 7, Sevier, Tennessee, United States Sex Male Age 15 Marital Status Single Race (Original) White Race White Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Son Relationship to Head of Household Son Birthplace Tennessee Birth Year (Estimated) 1925 Last Place of Residence Same House Household Role Sex Age Birthplace Hal Elder Head M 45 Tennessee Hattie Elder Wife F 35 Tennessee Dorathy Elder Daughter F 18 Tennessee Hal Elder Son M 15 Tennessee Charlie Elder Son M 12 Tennessee Helen Elder Son M 9 Tennessee [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 8 Oct 2017. Charley Trammell Elder obituary [S142] Newspaper Article, The Free Lance Star (Fredericksburg, VA), 7 Oct 2007. On Oct. 4, 2007, longtime Chancellor resident John H. Elder Jr., 83, departed this earth to be with his Heavenly Father. He was the oldest son of four children born to the late J. Hal Sr. and Hattie Elder in the Smoky Mountains of Sevierville, Tenn. Known as Hal Jr. to his hometown friends, he moved after high school from the hills of Tennessee to Newport News to support World War II as a welder for Newport News Shipbuilding. At the end of the war he served as a Corporal in the U.S. Army Air Corps throughout the Pacific as a flight mechanic on C-47 and C-54 aircraft. He was stationed at Assam, India, servicing planes, flying the Hump route to Kunming, China, and serving as a flight engineer on the C-54. After the war, he graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in agronomy and began working with soils for the University Experiment Station in Middle Tennessee. Here he met the love of his life. After taking a Soil Survey position as associate professor in soil science with Virginia Tech, he became a Hokie for life. In his 36 years with VT, he was known statewide for his expertise in soils for farming, for septic tank drain fields, and for construction. He completed soils engineering studies for the National Park Service, Northumberland, Madison, Spotsylvania and Prince William counties and a number of localities on the Eastern Shore. John was a longtime member of the Virginia Association of Professional Soil Scientists. Today his family celebrates life long memories. John literally never met a stranger while walking thousands of miles, mapping soils over the state of Virginia. He actively supported many Spotsylvania community organizations. He was a member of Chancellor Baptist Church and previously served as a Deacon at Zoan Baptist Church and as a trustee at Germanna Baptist Church. He was president of the Chancellor Ruritan Club and spent many hours with Boy Scout Troop 847. He will be remembered most of all as a loving husband, dad, fisherman, gardener and provider for his family. John is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, mother of five children, and friend, Lura Kennedy Elder. He is also survived by his children, John H. Elder III, his spouse, Laurie, and their children, Blair and Carley, of Seaford; Steven F. Elder, his spouse, Anne, and their children, Sarah, John and Mary of Newport News; Jane E. Maze and her husband, Kevin, of Richmond; Joseph W. Elder, his spouse, Shari, and their children, Joe, Jack, and Jake of Stafford County; and Susan E. Hayes, her spouse, Patrick, and their children, Hannah, Erin and Lura of Richmond. He is survived by siblings Charley T. Elder and Helen Elder of Sevierville. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Dorothy Catlett. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m Monday, Oct. 8, at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg. A service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the funeral home with the Rev. John Edmonds and the Rev. Eric Goforth officiating. Interment will follow in Culpeper National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Kidney Foundation of Virginia, Attn: Gail Simpson, 2601 Willard Road, Suite 103, Richmond, Va. 23294 804/ 288-8342 Online guest book covenentfuneralservice.com.