Harold Leaumont Elliott

Harold L. Elliott, well-known and respected community and state leader in education and the business world, died early morning, December 24, 2010, at YRMC. Dearly loved by his wife and family, he was released at long last from many years of the pain and stress of ill health.

Born in Somerton, June 28, 1925, he was the son of F.E. Elliott I and Olga Leaumont Elliott. He attended Somerton schools K-8 and graduated from Yuma High School in December, 1943; joined the Navy and its WWII officers' V-12 training program on the Flagstaff campus of ASC (now NAU). After discharge, he completed his undergrad in 1949 and Master's in 1952 at the same college. He taught math and coached all sports at Kingman High School for 6 years and then brought his talents, as well as his bride of 2 years, to YUHS District in 1954. He was a vice principal of the original administration of the new Kofa High School and then Kofa's principal from 1969-1975. From education he moved into his own investment company.

Heavily involved in the Yuma community, he served as president of Yuma Rotary, Yuma Jr. Chamber of Commerce, the Yuma Chamber of Commerce, chaired the "North End" Development Committee, the Mayor's Council for Higher Education, just to name a few. Harold served St. Paul's Episcopal Church from the 1950s, and was senior vestryman to celebrate the "burning" of the mortgage on the new church at 14th Avenue.

Harold's volunteer services, donations, and work resulted in the successful development of NAU's first in-place "2+2" partnership program here in Yuma with AWC and later the same program in Prescott with Yavapai Community College. This early work paved the way for extensive NAU satellite services statewide. For this and much more, he was honored with a doctorate in Humane Letters, December, 2006. Harold and his wife were honored with the Arizona Board of Regents Award in March of this year. Included in the many local Yuma awards are election to the Yuma Education Foundation Hall of Fame, 1993 and with wife, Marion, the Heart of Yuma leadership, 2006.

Harold is survived by his loving wife, Marion, his Havasu Canyon bride of 59 years; daughters, Diana (Dr. William) Austin, Roanoke, Virginia, and Linda (Randall) Elliott-Nelson, of Yuma; grandchildren, Elizabeth (Paul) Mallen, Hong Kong, Nathan Austin, Washington, D.C., Avelyn Austin, Charlottesville, Virginia, Benjamin Nelson, Yuma, and great grandson, Jack Mallen; nephews, Bailey Franklin, Los Angeles, and Thomas H. Elliott, Phoenix. Some twenty young people or more from around the world will also miss this caring and generous man they all know as "Papa".

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to any of the many Harold and Marion Elliott scholarships at NAU on the Mountain, Yuma, and Prescott campuses, at NAU Foundation, Box 494, Flagstaff, AZ 86011.

A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.

Published in The Yuma Sun on December 28, 2010

Arrangements under the direction of Johnson Mortuary & Desert Lawn Memorial Park, Yuma, AZ.