Obituary: Harold Terry Elder June 27, 1919 – January 5, 2009
On June 27, 1919 Harold Terry Elder was born to John Fletcher and Belle Terry Elder, completing their bustling family of six children. He grew up in a loving environment on a ranch in DeWitt County, in South Texas where he explored the natural order, hunted and fished with boyhood friends and relations, and displayed an innate curiosity for how things worked. He was only ten years old when his father died from diabetes in the midst of the Great Depression, so he developed an especially deep and abiding respect and admiration for his widowed mother and the courageous example that she set. As a young man, he sought adventure by joining the crew of a merchant ship that frequented the ports of South America.
Harold, who often spoke in aeronautical terms, made his final approach and landing on the runway to eternity on January 5, 2009 at the age of 89. He is survived by his daughter Roxanne Elder of Austin and his son Dr. Harold Terry Elder, Jr., daughter-in-law Lynn, of Corpus Christi, and his grandson Brandon Elder of Fort Collins, CO; and a host of loving nieces and nephews, great-nieces/nephews and great-great nieces/nephews who were often captivated by his stories of a rich and full life. He is preceded in death by his wife, Virginia Stephenson Elder; three brothers, J. F. Elder of Cuero, Joe B. Elder of Wichita Falls, and Henry Elder of Cuero; two sisters, Clifford E. Graham of Amarillo and Marjorie King of Seattle, WA.

Harold joined the Army Air Corp prior to WWII and was in flight training when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. He earned his pilot wings in 1943 and was then assigned to a B25 in the 12th Bomb Group, 434th Squadron as 1st Pilot flying combat missions out of North Africa against German Army and Air Force targets throughout Northern Africa and Italy. The 434th Squadron received a Presidential Air Force Commendation Medal in 1944 for their work in the North African campaign. After the war, he made the Air Force a career, flying transport aircraft with MATS (Military Air Transport Service) after his service in the Korean theatre. His service then took him to India and Thailand. His final assignment was with the US Navy in Key West, Florida, after the Cuban missile crisis where he served as a special Air Force attaché to assist with coordinating Air Force U-2 reconnaissance flights over Cuba. He retired from the Air Force in 1965 with the rank of Lt. Colonel.
His love for South Texas and the family ranch in DeWitt County, where he was reared, influenced his choice of Corpus Christi, where he worked in real estate for several years. He maintained his primary love for the land where he grew up north of Cuero, near the community of Cheapside. His favorite pastimes in later years were working with his brothers at the ranch and building a tree house atop an old windmill tower to observe the wildlife, and planting oak trees for the future. His oak arbor of eight trees planted in honor of his parents and six siblings on the old Chalk Hill stands as a memorial to his love and dedication to his family and of the land on which he grew up.
He moved to Trinity Towers in 2005 where he enjoyed many newfound friends and his apartment overlooking the Corpus Christi Bay and the USS Lexington. The family would like to acknowledge with gratitude the loving and professional care given him by Vickie Kitchen, Diana Ortiz and his doctors and the entire team at Vista Care Hospice.
A memorial service with full military honors and a celebration of his life will be held at Bellevue Cemetery near Cuero, TX on Thursday, February 12th at 2 p.m. Fruend Funeral Home in Cuero will handle funeral arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Grace Air Medical Foundation, 506 International Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78406 or DeWitt County Medical Foundation/Cuero Community Hospital, 2550 N. Esplanade, Cuero, TX 77954 or simply by thanking a veteran for his or her service to our country.