Joseph Evans Elliott, Jr.

Funeral services for Joseph Evans Elliott, Jr., 92, of Lufkin will be held Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. in the Carroway Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Trey Ainsworth officiating. Graveside services with military honors will follow in the Whitehouse Cemetery.

Joseph Evans Elliott, Jr., 92, was born May 16, 1930 in Shreveport, Louisiana to his parents, Joseph Evans Elliott, Sr. and Jean Logan Elliott, and passed from this world unto his Heavenly Father on Thursday, 22 September 2022. He was blessed to have had all four children, all four grandchildren, and all four great grandchildren in his presence on that day.

Joe grew up in Shreveport with his parents and two younger sisters, Madelon and Elaine. He lived a happy and blessed childhood, but admitted that he enjoyed playing pranks. One such memory was when he and the older boys would catch the street trolley. Joe was the “decoy” for the two older boys who would jerk the two wires from overhead and cause the trolley to come to a halt. The engineer would have to reconnect the trolley wires to the overhead cables to get it moving again. School was not his strong suit, but he was a ‘Cracker Jack’ (very good) in Math and English was his least favorite subject because he never understood which subject agreed with which verb. His favorite teacher was Mrs. Chance in 5th grade at Barrett Elementary because “she made sure you learned something”.  He played football from 10th through 12th grades at St. John’s High School. His team was mediocre (which he laughingly pronounced “mediokra”).

Joe remembered very well the day Pearl Harbor was bombed; he was eleven years old. It was a Sunday around noon and his family learned about it on the radio. The next day, WWII began. His first job was that of a paperboy for the Shreveport Times. He delivered newspapers from his bicycle for many of his young years. The favorite fashion of the day was a white t-shirt, blue jeans, low-quarter walking shoes and the hair was worn fairly short, but parted on the left. He enjoyed music from the likes of Hank Williams and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. His first car was a 1928 Model-A. He remembered Henry Ford’s sales pitch, “We’ll make any color you want as long as it’s black!”

Following high school, Joe attended LSU’s School of Agriculture, and later met his lifetime love at a fall fair in 1952 at Lecompte High School while waiting on a carnival ride with a blind date. He excused himself to go find the girl with the “infectious laugh” but was only able to learn her name. Shortly thereafter, he left for the Korean War. He served in the 7th Infantry Division as a medic and served from 1952-53. He earned the distinguished Bronze Medal for his heroic actions during combat. While in Korea, he began sending post cards addressed to a “Rosalie” in “Lecompte, Louisiana”. They began to correspond, and upon his return from war, they married 5 June 1954 and over the next nine years welcomed four children, Dianne, Susan, Mark and Helen, that kept them very busy with church, school, band, scouts, drill team, rodeo and so much more.

Joe was employed with Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation from 1954 to 1985. Texas Eastern was one of the major competitors in the post-war industry. The company's origins were unique. Early in 1947, a group of entrepreneurs led by Herman and George R. Brown, founders of the Brown & Root construction firm, purchased the Big Inch and Little Big Inch pipelines from the U.S. government, which had built them to transport crude oil and petroleum product vital to the war effort. By converting these pipelines to the transportation of natural gas, the founders of Texas Eastern got in on the ground floor of a dynamic industry. Joe was very proud to be a part of this distinctive company and his job allowed Rosalie to stay home to raise their four children.

Joe was not one to sit still. After retiring from Texas Eastern, he took up a job with Lufkin ISD as a crossing guard from 1985 to 2017. He crossed many a child from Kurth Elementary at the intersection of Chestnut and York for 32 years. Many knew him by his very short hair and pin-striped overalls. Students nicknamed him ‘Slick’ because of his shiny head. He was even crossing students of former students toward the end of his tenure. He absolutely loved this job and reluctantly left it to take care of his wife, at home, as she aged.

He was a longtime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1836. He served for many years in different capacities: placing U.S. flags on veteran’s graves for Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day, raising money for disabled vets through the selling of poppies, playing Santa Claus for the children at the Christmas parties, hiding eggs for the children’s Easter Egg Hunt, parking and directing vehicles during the annual VFW Carnival, and was instrumental in validating a “good Bingo” on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. Mostly, he enjoyed spending Saturday nights with Rosalie and their “dance group” on the VFW dance floor. Those were their “golden years” for sure!

More than anything, Joe was Daddy to us. Our daddy could make us laugh like no one else, but he also knew how to make us ‘toe the line’. We respected him because he demanded it. He taught us and entertained us with stories from his childhood, but he never spoke about the war. He loved to sing silly songs, to feed the wild birds (especially hummingbirds), and fiddle around in the yard. Duct tape was the fix-all to anything broken, and he didn’t spend money unnecessarily. He was the proudest American we knew and emphasized buy “Made in America” whenever you could. His motto was “If You Don’t Move It, You Lose It”.

Joe is survived by his children, Dianne Elliott of Lufkin, Susan Elliott Horton and husband Anthony of Austin, Mark Elliott of Lufkin, and Helen Elliott Mayo and husband Scott of League City; sisters, Madelon Sweat of Tallahassee, Florida and Elaine Geiger and husband Claude of Cumming, Georgia; grandchildren, Ashley Long Chrysler and husband Scott of Austin, Elliott Counts and wife Samantha of Austin, Jacob Logan Elliott and wife Emily of Lufkin, and Grace Elizabeth Mayo of Nacogdoches; great- grandchildren, Claire and Logan Counts, Avery and Brady Logan Elliott; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Joe was the Godfather to his loving nephew, Anthony Brady of Lecompte, Louisiana.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his beautiful wife of 66.5 years, Rosalie Elizabeth Brady Elliott.

Pallbearers will be Jacob Logan Elliott, Elliott Blane Counts, Scott Mayo, Anthony Horton, Carl Zylstra, and Mark Logan Elliott.

A very special recognition goes out to our wonderful, loving and Christian caregivers, Cindy Green, Aida Delacruz and Tyisha Tanner. We simply could not have taken care of him without them. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love y'all!!

The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon prior to the service.

Memories and condolences may be added, and live webcasting of the services may be viewed, at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com.

Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.