William H. Elder

January 14, 1917 - December 22, 2018

William H. “Bill” Elder passed away on Sabbath, December 22. 2018, just a few days short of his 102nd birthday in Loma Linda, California. Bill was born on a farm in Salina, Kansas to William Henry and Una Elder, and Bill grew up as one of eight children. He was the third oldest of six boys and two girls. Elder has two surviving siblings – a brother, 87, in Gentry, Arkansas, and a sister, 94, living in Lincoln, Nebraska. Elder attended public school in Saline County, Kansas and graduated from Southwestern Adventist University, which also was a high school and junior college. He said he was around 16 when he decided he wanted to be a pastor. “In my middle teens, I decided I wanted to be a pastor. But I didn’t have money to go to school,” He worked as a cashier at a grocery store for two years and drove a taxi for a year to earn money for college. Elder waited a few years before going to college, where he spent three years at Southwestern Junior College in Keene, Texas. He met his wife of 74 years, Mary, in Keene, Texas at Southwestern Union College. After they married, he attended Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, and then graduated with a bachelor’s degree in religion from Pacific Union College in Napa Valley. The Elders, had two daughters, Donna Butler, 70, and Mona Davis, 61, who just passed away a few weeks before Bill did. Bill and his family moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, where their ministerial work began. After Louisiana, the Elders moved to Arkansas and then to Pueblo, Colorado and Lincoln Nebraska. The Elders were invited to Ark-La Conf to head the Departments of Sabbath School, Religious Liberty and Communications. Five years later, they moved to Pennsylvania for six months, and he was departmental director in the Northern Union Conference of SDA. From that position he became the president of the North Dakota Conference. He moved from North Dakota to Shreveport. William Elder served as president there before moving back to Ark-La. In 1982, he decided it was time to retire. The Elders moved to Redlands, where he spent four years as the wills and trust director of the Quiet Hour. After leaving the Quiet Hour, Elder began writing the first of two books, in 1988.The book, “Hearts in Harmony,’’ centers around Samuel, Jonathan and David, from the Bible.“It’s a trilogy and how their lives intertwined and intersected,” Elder said. “It makes a wonderful story.” A second book was written in response to author Christopher Hitchens, who wrote a book called “God Is Not Great.” I read it twice and I decided to answer it,” Elder said.He wrote his book “God Is Exceedingly Great,” in two years. The Elders, celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary in September, have been members of Banning Seventh-day Adventist Church for 16 years. “We’ve had a good life together,” he said. Bill preached a sermon in the Banning SDA Church on his 100th Birthday and also earlier this year on his 101st Birthday. You can click on the link to see his 100th birthday sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7wdHbncGmE&t=95s Bill is survived by is wife Mary and his daughter Donna of Phoenix, AZ many grandchildren, and a host of friends. The William H. Elder family has requested that in lieu of flowers, any donations be made to the Desmond Doss Foundation. Bill had met Desmond Doss many times, heard him speak and admired his faith, patriotism and courage. The donations to the Desmond Doss Foundation are to be made in memory of William H. Elder and are 100% tax deductible. If you would like to make a donation in memory of Bill Elder, click the following link. https://www.desmonddossfoundation.org/donate.php or you may make a donation to The Quiet Hour at: https://www.qhministries.org/GiveNow in Bill's honor.