Lovell L. Elkins
Lovell L. Elkins, age 75, of Shelby, went to be with the Lord late Monday night, April 21, 2014 at his home.
Lovell was born on April 28, 1938 in Ramage, WV, the son of the late Clarence Elkins and Ora Burgess. He was a 1955 graduate of Scott High School in Madison, WV. Lovell retired from AK Steel in 2008 after 34 years of service and after his retirement worked 5 years in maintenance for The Ohio State University Mansfield campus. Lovell was a member of the First Baptist Church of Shelby where he has been a very active member for over 45 years. He enjoyed fishing, golfing, reading, all types of music, and studying history- especially war history. He was a wonderful husband, father, and friend.
Surviving are his wife of 56 years, Janice (McClain) Elkins; 2 children: David (fiancé, Shareen) Elkins of Shelby, Suzanne Elkins of Columbus; 3 brothers: Joseph, John, Tony; 2 sisters: Emeretta and Sherry. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by 4 brothers: Bobby, Wetzel, Alfred, and Claude. He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him.
Family and friends are welcome on Thursday, April 24, 2014 from 5-8 PM at the Turner Funeral Home, 168 West Main Street, Shelby. Funeral services will be held on Friday at 11 AM at the First Baptist Church of Shelby with Rev. Tom Dove officiating. Burial will follow in Oakland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church of Shelby.
To share a memory or express a condolence, please visit: penwellturner.com
So sorry to hear of Lovell’s passing. He is safely home now, but leaves sorrowful hearts behind. Love and prayers.
Janice, David & Suzanne,
I was so sorry to read about Lovell. He always had that smile on his face and you knew that he loved the Lord. I am hoping to make it to the service on Friday but if I can’t I will be with you in thought and you all are in my prayers.
In Christian Love, Ann Cooper
Lovell was a great friend and spiritual inspiration to us. It was through his God-directed efforts that our family came to know the Lord. Although Lovell could not know it at the time that he was witnessing to me (Al), he would be used by God to completely change the direction of not only my & Marjie’s lives- but also that of our children- all of whom are serving the Lord today, including our son, Tony, who is pastoring a church in Florida. Words cannot express our love and gratitude for what Lovell (& Janice) have meant to us through the years. We know that one of the last times we spoke with Lovell, he said he was ready to go whenever God called him. But we also know he will be greatly missed. We are praying for God to bring strength & comfort to Janice, David, Suzanne & the rest of the family. We send all of our love & prayers.
Dear Janice, Suzanne, David, and Shareen,
Because of Lovell, we have so many good memories–of insights, laughter, and serious discussions. Lovell was a unique person who truly loved Jesus Christ. He clearly knew where he stood with God and was looking forward to that day when he would be with Him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Janice and family.
It truly was a joy to work with Lovell. He challenged our thinking, encouraged our efforts, and entertained our conversations. Lovell poured his heart into the work of Jesus Christ and let everyone know that he had a genuine relationship with the LORD. Having a desire to win others to Christ, Lovell also freely shared his faith with his friends and fellow workers.
Because we were with our family in Ashland on Easter, we decided that we must try to see Lovell that Sunday, or we probably would never see him again on this Earth. Not knowing if Janice and Lovell would be home on this holiday, we took our chances and traveled to Shelby. What a joy it was to find them home and visit with Lovell just five days ago! He was in true character, and a real blessing. We observed that he did not lose his ‘take charge nature’ when, in the middle of as conversation, he abruptly said, “Janice, you need to get your food out for our family dinner!” Lovell was quite upbeat and had such a positive attitude, even though we could see he was extremely weak. We all joined our hearts in prayer before leaving.
We both wish we could be there for Lovell’s homegoing celebration! Certainly our love and prayers are with you all.
Rejoicing in Lovell’s seeing Jesus,
Bob and Vicki Becker
Dear Janice and Family,
It is with a heavy heart that I heard about the Lovell passing. I my years at the Ohio State, he was an incredible man to get to know. He brought so much joy to my life and I continue to reflect on the life lessons he taught us. Lovell’s famous story of him finding an unconscious hawk as a child is one that I still tell and laugh about to this day.
While I feel sadness for his absence, I can’t help but also feel very lucky for having known the man at all.
My heart goes out to you all.
In Love
Jo Pulcini
Janice and family: I am so sorry to hear of Lovell’s passing. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know both of you. Adam really enjoyed working with him at OSU-Mansfield, and I know how much everyone appreciated Lovell’s hard work and dedication. I especially remember how he helped build “C Deck” in the Student Center at the apartments so they could get more people in to watch games and movies! All of you are in my thoughts and prayers. Go Buckeyes! With love, Diane