Glenn Elliott's Obituary
Glenn Elliott, beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away Monday morning, December 31, 2012, at his home in Longview, Texas.
Glenn Elliott was born August 1, 1926, in Fannin County, Texas. He graduated from Windom High School in 1942. He served in the South Pacific during World War II.
On May 25, 1949, Glenn graduated from the Highway Patrol School at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, beginning his distinguished 38-year career with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Glenn served in Longview, Texas, as a highway patrolman until 1961 when he became a Texas Ranger. From 1961-87, he was a Company B Ranger. In the ensuing years, Glenn worked every type of case from high profile murder to the brutal strike at the Lone Star Steel plant. As a Ranger, he was featured in publications ranging from Texas Monthly to the New York Times. The full page photo of Mr. Elliott in Texas Monthly was voted one of the top 100 photos in Texas Monthly's 25 Years of Photos. He published a series of books about his career, "A Ranger's Ranger" and "Still a Ranger's Ranger," with the late Robert Nieman. These books cover a vast area of Texas and a variety of cases throughout his law enforcement career. One of the many recognizable names in the books is Paul Harvey, radio commentator. He dedicated a portion of his worldwide radio program to Ranger Elliott to commemorate his retirement, "I don't know what you know about the Texas Rangers, but they are an elite core of lawmen. Respected at all levels of law enforcement and revered in their home state. And if you had to pick one to represent the best of the best, that one would be Ranger Glenn Elliott."
In his retirement years, Glenn could be found on the farm in the house that he built above the original foundation of his childhood home. He spent hours on the tractor, building fences, clearing a pond and having lunch at Oliver's in Windom. He enjoyed his many loyal friends, games of Moon and watching the evening news. He supported the Texas Ranger Foundation and eagerly anticipated the annual Ranger Reunion in Waco. He was a great writer of letters, but not always the best speller. He was a member of the Alpine Church of Christ, where he accepted Jesus and was baptized.
He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Edith and Dewey Elliott; and brother, D.L., and wife, Catherine Cooper Elliott.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Diane and Ron Henson and his son and daughter-in-law, Dennis and Carla Elliott of Longview. "Daddy Glenn" is survived by his four granddaughters, Paige Henson Cawyer, Jennifer Henson Hobbs, Keri Elliott Hardin, and Sara Elliott Vick, and seven great-grandchildren.
Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, January 3, 2013, at Rader Funeral Home on Judson Road in Longview.
The funeral services will be 10 a.m. Friday, January 4, 2013, at the Worship Center of Alpine Church of Christ, Loop 281 in Longview. Interment will follow in Lakeview Cemetery.
Serving as pallbearers will be the active captains and lieutenants of Company B of the Texas Rangers. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be the remaining active and retired Company B Texas Rangers and the Board of Directors of the Texas Ranger Foundation in Waco, Texas.
For those desiring, memorial contributions may be directed to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame, c/o Memorials, P.O. Box 2570, Waco, TX 76702-2570; or Beacon Hospice at Margaret's House,
P.O. Box 5908, Longview, TX 75608.
The family acknowledges and extends their appreciation for the outpouring of calls and the many expressions of sympathy and support. They ask for your continued prayers and thoughts during this difficult time. The family wishes to thank Julie and Nancy, Glenn's faithful caretakers in his last years, for their devotion, humor and tireless efforts to care for him at home. In one of many letters to his grandchildren, he summed up his life simply, "My life experiences have been quite rewarding in many ways. The highlight being my family and friends" April 1999.
We are grateful for the time here with him. "A father's legacy is not riches, possessions, or worldly goods of any kind; it is the way he lived, the lives he touched, the promises he kept. It is the kind of man he was." — Author Unknown
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