Mr. Ira Lee Elliott's Obituary
Ira Lee (Pa) Elliott of Mt. Juliet, TN passed away Sunday, May 11, 2014 at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee. He was 84 years old.
Lee was born April 26, 1930 in Huntsville, Alabama to Newton Franklin Elliott, who passed in 1970, and Maggie Pearl Crowell Elliott, who passed in 1982. Lee was especially close to his mother whom he swore he heard tell him to put his head down just before a bullet grazed his helmet during the Korean War.
He was married to, Carolyn Vaden of Carthage, Tennessee, in 1956. She preceded him in death on May 1, 1997. During their 41 years of marriage they loved to travel, including a cross-country road trip in 1986, and garden.
Mr. Elliott attended North High School in Nashville, Tennessee before serving in the Marines during the Korean War (1951-1953). During high school and after the war he worked at Werthan Bag Company in Nashville until he retired in 1972. He also went on to retire from Bridgestone in LaVergne, Tennessee in 1997 and Avis Car Rental in Nashville, Tennessee in 2012, living most of his life in Nashville and Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Always a hardworking man, he was known to advise his grandchildren that in his day, “they (employers) wanted a man with a strong back and a weak mind, but now they want a man with a strong mind; so be sure and get a good education.” And he was known for both, his muscular physique and witty mind.
Lee enjoyed writing his own songs and singing country and original tunes to entertain family and friends. He was known as the life of the party and, when he would pick up his granddaughter from school, a crowd of students would gather around the car to talk to him, get a hug, or hear a tune or two. A member of Hickory Hills Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, he was also known to be a very benevolent man, kindheartedly offering a helping hand to those he saw in need.
He is survived by his daughter Pamela Carol Elliott Sylvis, her husband Jeff Sylvis, and grandchildren Elliott Sylvis, Theodore Arnold IV, Alexander Arnold, and Samantha Arnold.
Visitation is at Spring Hill Funeral Home on Gallatin Pike in Madison, Tennessee on Thursday May 15, 2014 at 9:00am. The Memorial Service will follow at 12:00 noon. The burial is 2:00pm at Middle Tennessee Veteran’s Cemetery on McCrory Lane in Nashville. Officiating the services is Reverend Jeff Whitener of Hickory Hills Baptist Church and pallbearers are Jeff Sylvis, Ted Arnold III, Elliott Sylvis, Ted Arnold IV, Alexander Arnold, and Steve Sylvis.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to Alzheimer Research at The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., 7th fl., New York, NY 10001; or to Hickory Hills Baptist Church, 2714 Nonaville Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122. Special thanks go to The Gardens at Providence Place in Mt. Juliet for their loving and nurturing environment.
Everyone whose lives he touched will truly miss those baby-blue eyes, coal-black hair, and sense of humor.
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