Madaline Lillian Burks Elliott was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 13, 1922 to Gladys Catherine Carey and James Duncan Burks. She was the oldest girl of six. Her brother James D. Burks was the oldest, followed by Lillian, Jack, June, Jerry and Janet Lee. She lost her brother, Jerry, to whooping cough before his 3rd birthday. Her father was a railroad engineer and her mother ran a boarding house for railroad employees. He was killed in an accident before her 9th birthday and her mother re-married the following year to Curtis Gooch. He moved the family to Kentucky where they farmed.
Coincidentally, across the road was a farm owned by Silas M. Elliot and Bessie B. Elliott who had a fine looking son named Ronald Adams Elliott and his five sisters, Beatrice, Gwen, Juanita, Faye and Nancy. They all became good close friends and years later when Ronald wanted to date Lillian and she said, “No!,” he said, “That’s okay. I’ll just ask June and she’ll go out with me and you’ll have to go too as chaperone!” He told Lillian at age 16 that he intended to marry her and she said, “We’ll see about that!” It took him two years after graduation to get her to finally agree. They were married for 55 years.
Ronald enlisted in the Army-Air Corp in 1941 and went on to Officer’s training school. Then they began their world travels. They served 33 years in the USAF before retiring to New Braunfels, TX. They traveled to many bases, sometimes for only 3 months and other times for 2 years, but wherever they went, Lillian made fast friends that she stayed in touch until the very end. She would start her Christmas Cards in October because it took a long time to send everyone a card and letter. And oh, how she loved doing it.
Lillian had a rich full life. Wherever she was she made it a wonderful home for her family. She always worked diligently for her Church and as a volunteer at the hospital too. She was a nurse’s aide at Clark A.F. Base in the Philippines during the Vietnam War where she helped with the badly injured soldiers returning to the States. And when she came to New Braunfels she worked in her church, First Baptist, and as a volunteer at Eden Hill. She has made so many good and dear friends here; friends that have made her final years rich with love. To these friends, I say thank you.
Madaline is survived by her sister, June Miller of Panama City Beach, Florida, her sister and brother-in-law, Janet Lee and Shannon Hatter of Waynesburg, KY, her sister-in-law Nancy Fortunato of Thurmont, MD. Her children; son R. Wayne Elliot and wife, Wendy Elliott of Grand Junction, CO, son Edward M. Elliott of Austin, TX, and daughter Patricia and son-in-law Jerry M. Duke of New Braunfels; grandchildren Silas and Rachel Elliott of Carbondale, CO, Ben and Chrissy Elliott of Grand Junction, CO, Jerry M. and Cher Duke of Isle of Palms, SC, Walter and Katherine Duke Raczkowski of Beaufort, SC, Elizabeth Jasenak of Wilmington, NC, and Carolyn Tyler of Columbine, SC. Also 13 great-grandchildren soon to be 14! And one great-great-grandson soon to be three great-great-grandchildren! She will also be missed by her 28, make that 56 with spouses, nephews and nieces. And I’ve long lost tract of the numbers of great-nephews and great nieces many of whom call, write and visit. They have all been wonderful these past years. Many of them took time to come see her since she could no longer go visit them. A Memorial Service will be held Thursday, July 18, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. at Zoeller Funeral Home.
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