Lillian April Elkins was born on April 16, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan to Leon and Blanche Irene (Hodge) Mastin. She spent her childhood in Detroit and graduated from Commerce High School in 1950. As a teenager she accepted Christ and became a member of Detroit’s Temple Baptist Church. Lillian worked as a secretary at various companies in Detroit in the early 1950’s.
Adventurous woman that she was, she went to Brownwood, Texas in 1951 with a friend, where she met J. C. Elkins. She returned to Detroit in May 1952 where they carried on a romance mostly by mail and telephone. In 1954 Lillian and J. C. (a U.T. student), were married at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin.
Lillian became a homemaker and mother of 3, worked at various jobs, and then joined the IRS as a tax auditor, retiring in 1995. She enjoyed yard work, reading, and traveling. She visited 49 states, Canada, and Mexico during her travels. In recent years Lillian broke both hips and developed congestive heart failure. She died peacefully in her sleep in her favorite recliner early Friday morning July 23, 2021.
Lillian was preceded in death by two sisters, Leola Utter and Muriel Cormier; grandson, Ryan Elkins. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, J. C. Elkins of Austin; son Scott Elkins and wife Janice of Middleburg, FL; daughter Kathleen Israel of Austin; and son Gary Elkins of Gainesville, FL; sister, Elaine McConnell of Concord, NH; six grandchildren: Jason Gladden and wife Kathleen of McKinney; Diana Pollard and husband Calvin of Sugar Land; Jeffrey Israel and wife Amanda of Wylie; Heather Flores and husband Stephen of Kyle; Sarah Israel of Kyle; and Christina Elkins of New Braunfels; four great-grandchildren: Allyson, Austin, Miles, and Emory; and by many loved nephews and nieces.
Funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Weed Corley Fish Funeral Home on 2620 S Congress Ave., Austin, TX. All are invited to attend. Interment will be at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.
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