Benette Elder

August 7, 1937 to April 28, 2023

Benette “B” (nee Kael) Elder, 85, late of Silver City, NM passed away surrounded by family on April 28, 2023. Born August 7, 1937 in Los Angeles, CA, she was the second-born child of the late Louis Kael and Anne (nee Schaeffer) Kael.

B grew up in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1955. She had three children from her first marriage and was living in Escondido, CA working hard as a single mom when she met Jack Elder.

She and Jack married on September 7, 1971. They raised five children together. When Jack was transferred for work, the family moved to Ovid, MI. While living in Ovid, B was a volunteer EMT. The family next moved to Flagstaff, AZ where B attended Northern Arizona University and graduated with honors with a degree in Gerontology in 1984. After college, B worked as the activities director for a local nursing home. The family next moved to Tucson, AZ in 1988. In Tucson, B worked as the administrator of Villa Campana Rehabilitation Hospital.

B was especially proud of her hard-earned college degree and professional employment because she returned to school at the age of 44, which she was the first to admit was much older than the average student! With 2 young children at home as well as older children at various stages of young adulthood, it was no easy feat.

After their mutual retirement in 1996, she and Jack travelled all across the US and Canada in their RV. They saw the south, the northeast, and drove from San Diego through Canada and Alaska on coastal Highway 101. They also took several river boat cruises on the Mississippi, an ocean cruise to Hawaii, and several bus tours through the southwest. They especially enjoyed seeing the Rose Parade (a dream of B’s) and spending days at the Smithsonian museum (a dream of Jack’s). They eventually settled down some and spent summers in Alpine, AZ and winters in Tucson until they moved to Silver City, New Mexico in 2010. Silver City proved to be a rich source of friends and culture for B and Jack and they enjoyed their later years there.

For years, B was an avid walker and competed in half marathon and marathon races and fundraisers. She enjoyed being a part of several Susan G Komen 3-Day walks and Relay for Life Walks. B also always found value in volunteering and helped out at a number of local charities around Tucson and Silver City.

Throughout their adult lives, B and Jack were dedicated members of churches where they lived, including Duplain Church of Christ (St Johns,MI), First Christian Church (Flagstaff,AZ), Northside Christian Church (Tucson,AZ), and Silver City Baptist Church.

Benette is survived by daughters Anne (Steve) Jolly of El Paso, TX, Erica McCallum of Tucson, AZ, and Angela (Martin) Allred of Tombstone, AZ; sons Michael (Kerry) Elder of Tucson, AZ and Vincent Massey of Tucson, AZ; twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Benette is preceded in death by her parents, brother Howard Kael, sister Cecilia Kael, sister Irene Kael, and by her husband of 51 years Jack Elder, who died on February 9, 2023. She was quite a lady and we will miss her. Please continue reading below for the obituary of Bennet's beloved husband Jack Winfield Elder, who preceded her.

Jack Elder April 1, 1929 to February 9, 2023

Jack Winfield Elder, 93, late of Silver City, NM passed away surrounded by family on February 9, 2023. Born April 1, 1929 in San Diego, CA he was the youngest child of the late George “Dick” Clarence Elder and Erma “Jewel” Jewel (nee Butler) Elder.

He grew up in Julian, CA and Indio, CA and graduated from Coachella Valley High School. During and after high school he worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a firefighter during fire season. He and a friend headed to Alaska as young men and worked in the logging industry for about a year, quite an adventure. When he returned to San Diego, he started at junior college and proceeded to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University. He remained an SDSU Aztec fan for his whole life.

His first engineering job was for the State of California in Escondido, where he helped design and build Dixon Dam. He later took a job as a civil engineer for the federal Natural Resource Conservation Service. During his 25 year tenure, Jack and his family lived in Ovid, MI (where he helped dam the Maple River), Flagstaff, AZ and Tucson, AZ (where he worked extensively in irrigation and soil erosion, both on and off the Navajo reservation).

Jack became a widower after his first wife, Ellen, died following a battle with multiple sclerosis. He married Benette on September 7, 1971. They raised 5 children together.

After retirement in 1996, he and his wife Benette (“B”) travelled all across the US and Canada in their RV. They saw the south, the northeast, and drove from San Diego through Canada and Alaska on coastal Highway 101. They also took several river boat cruises on the Mississippi, an ocean cruise to Hawaii, and a few different bus tours through the southwest. They especially enjoyed seeing the Rose Parade (a dream of B’s) and spending several days at the Smithsonian museum (a dream of Jack’s). They eventually settled down some and spent summers in Alpine, AZ and winters in Tucson until they moved to Silver City, New Mexico in 2010. Silver City proved to be a rich source of friends and culture for Jack and B and they have enjoyed their later years there.

Always an engineer, Jack could often be found tinkering in the garage. He worked on cars, appliances and almost everything else around his home. In his retirement he especially enjoyed woodworking and making furniture for family. He built a cradle that many of his 12 grandchildren slept in during their first few months of life.

Jack was an avid sports fan, and especially loved watching the Indianapolis 500 and watching basketball and football. In his papers, his family found a certificate marking the day he drove the course at the Indy 500 track, a landmark moment for sure! He always supported teams from Michigan and Arizona as well as SDSU.

Throughout his adult life, he was a dedicated and helpful member of churches where he lived, including Duplain Church of Christ (St Johns, MI), First Christian Church (Flagstaff, AZ), Northside Christian Church (Tucson, AZ), and Silver City Baptist Church.

Jack is survived daughters Anne (Steve) Jolly of El Paso, TX, Erica McCallum of Tucson, AZ, and Angela (Martin) Allred of Tombstone, AZ; sons Michael (Kerry) Elder of Tucson, AZ and Vincent Massey of Tombstone, AZ; twelve grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Jack is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Richard Elder, and sister Colleen “Betty” Elder. His wife of 51 years Benette “B” (nee Kael) Elder passed away just after him on April 28, 2003. He will be missed.