Elva Darlene Harper

Elva was born the first of three children to Clyde and Zella McAlister Schoaff in Rosefield Township, Peoria Co., Il on the 5th of October, 1927. Her father was newly employed by what became the Caterpillar Tractor Co. Her mother, the highest ranked student in Peoria County in the early 1920's, remained at home instead of pursuing her education in order to help care for her 5 younger siblings.

Elva's educational achievement potential was evident from an early age as she attended the 8 grade schools in the neighborhoods in which she lived. For Timber Township High School, she needed to walk the tracks of the T P and W railroad from the farm into Glasford. As a teen, she also helped her mother convalesce from the 1942 birth of her second brother, Paul, and to help raise her 6 year younger brother, Marvin. When she was sixteen she was off to Bradley University where she became the first person in her family line to attend college.

At Bradley, she met and fell in love with Charles H. Harper, a military veteran of WWII. She came to share his passion to return to East Asia as missionaries to help reconstruct society and develop the Methodist Church system in Korea. He had seen the devastation and suffering of war during his military service. He completed his bachelor degree very quickly at Bradley, was ordained, married Elva, and served as minister to several churches in small towns. Finally, he and Elva set out for universities on the East Coast for further education and language studies needed to fully involve themselves in the hard work ahead of them.

While living in Fort Lee, New Jersey, ministering and studying at Union Theological Seminary, Charles and Elva welcomed their first child, Merridee, and, then, two years hence, Douglas. These children were the first grandchildren for Zella and Clyde. Another daughter, Kay Marlene, was born in Korea some years later. All three children spent much of their youth in Korea, primarily attending English speaking schools.

While serving 26 years in Korea, Elva established a social service center, an orphanage, churches, a leprosy colony, and prosthetics and burn clinics. She continued her education at Ewha Womans University, having to learn Chinese characters for formal writing in Korea at that time. She obtained a Master’s in Women’s Health, doing her fieldwork throughout the Korean countryside with a team of nurses.

After returning to the USA for the last time, Elva earned a phD in Public Health from Southern Illinois University. For a time, she taught Public Health at Western Illinois University. Then, moving to Peoria, she continued to work as a Christian school principal until caring for Charles as his health declined, and, finally, for her mother, Zella, with whom she shared her home until Zella's demise in 2004.

Over the years following service in Korea, Elva maintained contact and friendship with the many Koreans and Americans who shared their experiences in Korea. The success and achievements of the Korean churches are a monument to Elva’s and Charles' and their friends’ work there.

Elva is survived by her brother, Paul Schoaff; three children, Merridee (David Blumberg) Harper, of Greenville, SC, C. Douglas and Kay of Peoria; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 16, 2025 at Hanna City United Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m. at the church.

Burial will be at Cottonwood Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hanna City United Methodist Church.