Carl A. Elder, age 85, and a longtime friend of Carroll Institute, entered the Lord’s presence on Monday, November 21, 2016 after a short illness. He was the husband of Dr. Wynona Elder, Distinguished Fellow and Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Carroll Institute. Carl dedicated his life to the service of God, his family and countless others. He began preaching at the age of 16 and displayed faithfulness to the gospel ministry. He has left a legacy of lives he touched around the world, churches he pastored in North Texas, Ohio and Alaska and several churches he helped to start in Texas. He worked for the Baptist General Convention of Texas as a consultant for new church starts, bi-vocational ministry and smaller churches. Carl was instrumental in the area of institutional development during the early days of Carroll’s existence.
His son, Mark, commented,
He always offered hospitality to the stranger. If you were fortunate enough for him to have greeted you in any public place, he would have asked how you were doing and about your family, maybe offered a prayer and when he left you, in his mind he had made a new friend, and certainly you would have felt special. It’s just who he was. When it came to his family, the joy of his life, he simply loved us. He prayed daily for nothing but the best in our lives and offered his blessing. For these gifts, we, his family are incredibly fortunate to have had him as husband, father, granddad, great granddad and brother.
Carl Elder is survived by his loving wife and companion of 63 years, Wynona Elder; three children, Mona Figueroa, Carla Perry (husband Charles) and Mark Elder; 7 Grandchildren: Heather Bennett, Cory Hall, Chris Perry, Clinton Perry, Cameron Perry, Anthony Elder and Steven Elder; three great grandchildren: Connor Bennett, Sawyer Bennett, Noah Hall and Landry Perry; two brothers: Dr. Lloyd Elder and Doyle Elder, and one sister, Faye Reach. Other survivors include many relatives and a host of friends.
The memorial service will be held on Tuesday, November 29th, at 1:30 PM at Gambrell Street Baptist Church, 1616 W. Gambrell St., Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Jim Spivey, pastor, will conduct the service. A reception will follow at the church in Maston Hall
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Gambrell Street Baptist Church or B. H. Carroll Theological Institute.