1931
Virginia
2024
Virginia Merle Elder
February 12, 1931 — May 30, 2024
The Abundant Feast
Virginia Merle (b., Myrl) Loftis Elder
(February 12, 1931 - May 30, 2024)
Merle Elder was the diamond-hard result of the Great Depression, epitomizing home economics students at her alma mater, McKenney High School. She created picture-perfect box-pleated wool skirts and delicious homemade meals of yeast rolls, fried pork chops, fried oysters, ham, butter beans and corn, corn pudding, collard greens, Southern green beans (cooked for hours), mashed potatoes, pineapple and chocolate meringue pies, banana pudding, and her unbeatable fried chicken (her husband Earl's claiming her chicken secured their marriage). Sugar was her secret weapon. Two tablespoons added to boiling corn on the cob caused guests to ask where she had found such sweet corn. And she could stretch a dollar to the sheerness of kettle steam.
When she was seven, among lessons learned during the Great Depression was the hard one she suffered by the sudden death of her father, John William Loftis. Her mother, Etta Royster Loftis, now destitute, was forced to leave their Clarksville home, not accepting relatives' offers to adopt her children. Etta relocated her young daughter and four young sons (Bill, Duke, John, and Frank) to a sharecropper's cabin on the Royster farm in Darvills, Virginia. Bob Royster and Effie Parker Royster (Merle's maternal grandparents) saved the mourning family.
During those hard years, Merle, now only nine years old, sold butter beans in front of a Blackstone doctor's office, beans she had shelled herself because she knew shelled ones sold more quickly than unshelled. She never shirked work. Etta always commented about how smart Merle was; "smart" to Etta was being a hard worker.
As a teenager at McKenney High School, Merle believed high school owed its existence to sports. She expected Earl (her future husband) to attend her softball and basketball games where she was a fierce competitor. After graduation, Merle (seventeen) married Earl (twenty-four); they raised two children, Theresa and Earl, Jr. Both parents were proud of their son's honor in being named Most Outstanding Athlete at Colonial High School in Orlando, Florida. Merle rarely missed his games. However, because she valued action and hard work, Merle often fussed, "Theresa, get your nose out of that book!" Not an athlete, Theresa would later become an English teacher with her nose perpetually locked in stacks of student essays. Merle did go the extra mile for her two children, such as making them pancakes from scratch over an open fire at Overhill Lake before their swimming lessons. Food expressed love.
Her granddaughters, Chase Elder (a professional chef) and Loftan Hooker (not one but talented) directly experienced the power of Merle's hearth. They credit Merle with their early interest in creating dishes for people they loved. She was an adoring grandmother, but she genuinely enjoyed her final years of being a great-grandmother to Loftan's children Virginia (Vivi) Miller, Olive Miller, and Harlan Merle Grace Hooker, two girls named after Merle. Harlan Merle, only three with vocal talents surely inherited from her father, Randy Hooker, sang "Twinkle" and "Paw Patrol" to her great-grandmother (bedside) during the final days. Vivi and Olive, sharing ice cream with Merle, watched Hallmark movies with her throughout their great-grandmother's two years of decline.
Merle joked green was her favorite color because it was the color of money. It was therefore fitting that her happiest years were spent in Cash Control at the Polynesian Resort, Walt Disney World, where she was a "cast member" of the group that opened WDW in 1971. Though never realizing great wealth herself, she was proud of her relatives' financial success. Humor was integral to her nature as when Evelyn (brother Duke's wife) and Merle served repeated, merry rounds of champagne to innocent Jewel (brother John's wife) just to see how she would react. Pushing the envelope of humor, Merle could not keep from laughing when her most cherished dog Wahoo, a Lhasa Apso, bit every male who entered the house. Merle would call off the little monster (laughing) during his modest attacks while the men muttered, "Damn dog," shaking the little canine off their pants legs.
Life was not about Merle; it was about you. When she greeted you on her back porch, she welcomed you with friendly questions. It was always about your background or your latest story. She made you feel valued. She was tough. She was known for her toughness, but she was always treated respectfully. Whether joyfully drinking champagne at the Jefferson or enjoying crab casseroles on Lake Anna with her nieces, she relished any kind of gathering and celebration. As was true of Christian children of the Depression, she loved any Christmas gathering with its overflow of festive holiday food.
She has peacefully moved on, past the illness in which all she could finally say was, "I love you," the words capturing her essence. Merle will never leave the heartfelt reflections of those who have enjoyed the fullness of her hospitality, and she will always remain Wonder Woman, the Living Legend, as her son Earl affectionately calls her.
Merle was preceded in death by her husband, Earl Tucker Elder; her parents, John William Loftis and Etta Virginia Royster Loftis Martin; her brothers, William Loftis, Duke Loftis, Frank Loftis; and sister, Shelby Jean Martin Westmoreland. She is survived by her daughter, Theresa Elder; her son, Earl Elder; her brother, John Marshall Loftis; her sister-in-law, Jewel Winn Loftis; her sister-in-law, Evelyn Chenault Loftis (Duke); her brother-in-law, Jackie Westmoreland (Shelby); and her granddaughters, Chase Elder and Loftan Sullivan Hooker; along with an extended family of cousins, nieces, and nephews.
We are thankful for Merle's nieces and cousins, among others, who faithfully visited during her decline: Daphne Loftis Sexton, Diane Westmoreland Fountaine, Pamela Goodwyn Mowry, Ellen Burnett, Richard and Lise Burnett, and Bill Chambers. We express deepest gratitude to the nurses, CNAs, and the Social Services social worker from At Home Care & Hospice, Colonial Heights, VA, who watched over Mama during her seventeen months of hospice care. Additionally, we witnessed the highest level of care from our dear friend and CNA Alfreda Davis, who devoted endless hours to Mama. We cherish each of you.
A private family burial will take place at Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Virginia Merle (b., Myrl) Loftis Elder
(February 12, 1931 - May 30, 2024)
Merle Elder was the diamond-hard result of the Great Depression, epitomizing home economics students at her alma mater, McKenney High School. She created picture-perfect box-pleated wool skirts and delicious homemade meals of yeast rolls, fried pork chops, fried oysters, ham, butter beans and corn, corn pudding, collard greens, Southern green beans (cooked for hours), mashed potatoes, pineapple and chocolate meringue pies, banana pudding, and her unbeatable fried chicken (her husband Earl's claiming her chicken secured their marriage). Sugar was her secret weapon. Two tablespoons added to boiling corn on the cob caused guests to ask where she had found such sweet corn. And she could stretch a dollar to the sheerness of kettle steam.
When she was seven, among lessons learned during the Great Depression was the hard one she suffered by the sudden death of her father, John William Loftis. Her mother, Etta Royster Loftis, now destitute, was forced to leave their Clarksville home, not accepting relatives' offers to adopt her children. Etta relocated her young daughter and four young sons (Bill, Duke, John, and Frank) to a sharecropper's cabin on the Royster farm in Darvills, Virginia. Bob Royster and Effie Parker Royster (Merle's maternal grandparents) saved the mourning family.
During those hard years, Merle, now only nine years old, sold butter beans in front of a Blackstone doctor's office, beans she had shelled herself because she knew shelled ones sold more quickly than unshelled. She never shirked work. Etta always commented about how smart Merle was; "smart" to Etta was being a hard worker.
As a teenager at McKenney High School, Merle believed high school owed its existence to sports. She expected Earl (her future husband) to attend her softball and basketball games where she was a fierce competitor. After graduation, Merle (seventeen) married Earl (twenty-four); they raised two children, Theresa and Earl, Jr. Both parents were proud of their son's honor in being named Most Outstanding Athlete at Colonial High School in Orlando, Florida. Merle rarely missed his games. However, because she valued action and hard work, Merle often fussed, "Theresa, get your nose out of that book!" Not an athlete, Theresa would later become an English teacher with her nose perpetually locked in stacks of student essays. Merle did go the extra mile for her two children, such as making them pancakes from scratch over an open fire at Overhill Lake before their swimming lessons. Food expressed love.
Her granddaughters, Chase Elder (a professional chef) and Loftan Hooker (not one but talented) directly experienced the power of Merle's hearth. They credit Merle with their early interest in creating dishes for people they loved. She was an adoring grandmother, but she genuinely enjoyed her final years of being a great-grandmother to Loftan's children Virginia (Vivi) Miller, Olive Miller, and Harlan Merle Grace Hooker, two girls named after Merle. Harlan Merle, only three with vocal talents surely inherited from her father, Randy Hooker, sang "Twinkle" and "Paw Patrol" to her great-grandmother (bedside) during the final days. Vivi and Olive, sharing ice cream with Merle, watched Hallmark movies with her throughout their great-grandmother's two years of decline.
Merle joked green was her favorite color because it was the color of money. It was therefore fitting that her happiest years were spent in Cash Control at the Polynesian Resort, Walt Disney World, where she was a "cast member" of the group that opened WDW in 1971. Though never realizing great wealth herself, she was proud of her relatives' financial success. Humor was integral to her nature as when Evelyn (brother Duke's wife) and Merle served repeated, merry rounds of champagne to innocent Jewel (brother John's wife) just to see how she would react. Pushing the envelope of humor, Merle could not keep from laughing when her most cherished dog Wahoo, a Lhasa Apso, bit every male who entered the house. Merle would call off the little monster (laughing) during his modest attacks while the men muttered, "Damn dog," shaking the little canine off their pants legs.
Life was not about Merle; it was about you. When she greeted you on her back porch, she welcomed you with friendly questions. It was always about your background or your latest story. She made you feel valued. She was tough. She was known for her toughness, but she was always treated respectfully. Whether joyfully drinking champagne at the Jefferson or enjoying crab casseroles on Lake Anna with her nieces, she relished any kind of gathering and celebration. As was true of Christian children of the Depression, she loved any Christmas gathering with its overflow of festive holiday food.
She has peacefully moved on, past the illness in which all she could finally say was, "I love you," the words capturing her essence. Merle will never leave the heartfelt reflections of those who have enjoyed the fullness of her hospitality, and she will always remain Wonder Woman, the Living Legend, as her son Earl affectionately calls her.
Merle was preceded in death by her husband, Earl Tucker Elder; her parents, John William Loftis and Etta Virginia Royster Loftis Martin; her brothers, William Loftis, Duke Loftis, Frank Loftis; and sister, Shelby Jean Martin Westmoreland. She is survived by her daughter, Theresa Elder; her son, Earl Elder; her brother, John Marshall Loftis; her sister-in-law, Jewel Winn Loftis; her sister-in-law, Evelyn Chenault Loftis (Duke); her brother-in-law, Jackie Westmoreland (Shelby); and her granddaughters, Chase Elder and Loftan Sullivan Hooker; along with an extended family of cousins, nieces, and nephews.
We are thankful for Merle's nieces and cousins, among others, who faithfully visited during her decline: Daphne Loftis Sexton, Diane Westmoreland Fountaine, Pamela Goodwyn Mowry, Ellen Burnett, Richard and Lise Burnett, and Bill Chambers. We express deepest gratitude to the nurses, CNAs, and the Social Services social worker from At Home Care & Hospice, Colonial Heights, VA, who watched over Mama during her seventeen months of hospice care. Additionally, we witnessed the highest level of care from our dear friend and CNA Alfreda Davis, who devoted endless hours to Mama. We cherish each of you.
A private family burial will take place at Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
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