Horace Elam

Horace Henry Elam Jr., age 87 of Mesquite TX, passed peacefully to his Lord and Savior on Sept 2, 2015.He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years Ella Elam; son Gordon and Sue Elam and son Rusty and Belynda Elam; grandson Kyle Elam and granddaughter Claire and Gerard Marrone;grandsons Dustin and Amanda Elam, Josh Elam, and Sam and Rebecca Elam.He also leaves two great granddaughters Alexandra and Madison Elam and expected grandson Dylan Elam.He is also survived by his sister Barbara and Harry Starr and a multitude of nieces and nephews. Horace was born October 3, 1927 in Dallas TX and grew up in Pleasant Grove where he graduated from high school before joining the Navy where he proudly served in the final stages of WWII. Horace had a deep faith in Jesus that he developed as a member of Pleasant Grove Christian Church for over 60 years.He and Ella moved to Mesquite in 1995 and transferred their membership to Lake Ridge Bible Church.He loved the lifelong friends they made in their Crusaders and Ambassadors Sunday school classes. Dad spent over 40 years in the sand, gravel, and trucking business where he worked side-by-side with his father Horace Sr. and later his son Rusty.He loved working with his hands, operating heavy equipment, driving trucks, and generally being outside.A desk job would never have suited him -tooling around in his pickup was far more preferable. He was exceedingly proud of each of his sons, grandsons, and granddaughter as well as their spouses. He was a tremendous father to Gordy and Rusty.He was no pushover and we became deservedly acquainted with his alligator belt.But he loved us both and we knew that no matter what, he was always there to pick us up and help us move on and grow up.And he believed in hard work:We got to see the greasy of side of many dump trucks but he also trusted use to run the heavy equipment too.Hetaught us how things work and how to be responsible with whatever we have been blessed to have. For fun, Dad loved to work in the yard and was still mowing his own grass every week up until a few months ago.He loved the Texas Rangers and baseball in general.He seldom missed a baseball game of Dustin, Josh, or Sam and even Kyle and Claire when he was visiting New Jersey.He became a big Notre Dame baseball fan when Sam went to Notre Dame and even had to like the Yankees a little bit when they drafted Sam.He also loved to play 42 with their friends from church.He was always good for at least one 84 bid in any game – and most of the time he seemed to make it!He and Ella traveled to many parts of the U.S. and the world with groups of dear friends from church.They did Europe, South America, Australia to name a few and came back with many great stories. He was especially proud of his Navy service where he was a fireman 2nd class on the aircraft carrier USS Siapan.He loved telling stories about his Navy days to anyone who would listen and his Navy cap was his favorite.He was honored that two of his grandsons, Dustin and Kyle, are Navy submariners. Finally, he loved Ella more than anything.He called her his “Doll” and together they navigated 61 years of marriage providing a home to raise their kids, enjoy their grandkids, serve Christ, and make a countless number of priceless memories. If every husband, father, granddad, and great grandpa were like him, this world would be a far better place.We were lucky to have him. So with apologies to Lewis Carroll, September 2, 2015 was a “frabjous” day in heaven to welcome Pop home. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Visiting Nurses Association Meals on Wheels https://secure2.convio.net/vnaot/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app232a?1461.donation=form1&df_id=1461&NONCE_TOKEN=EDBBD1D0A97E8198A8B04C811B5633B2 Family will receive friends at the funeral home Thursday evening from 5:00PM - 7:00PM. Graveside service will be 9:00AM Friday September 4, 2015 at DFW National Cemetery, Dallas, TX. Memorial service will be held at Lake Ridge Bible Church, 1020 Northwest Dr., Mesquite, TX. 75150.