Ted W. McElroy, 91, of Uvalde, longtime area resident and Church of Christ minister, died Feb. 3, 2009, at his residence.

McElroy was born on Oct. 6, 1917, in Oilton, Okla. He was an orphan until the age of 2, when he was adopted by the McElroy family.

He married Esta Tennyson in Bentonville, Ark., April 1, 1939.

A lifelong member of the Church of Christ, McElroy began his ministry at the age of 15. He preached while attending college, and he graduated from Harding University in Searcy, Ark.

From 1944 to 1947 McElroy was a minister in Del Rio.

He and his wife came to Uvalde for the first time in 1951 and for three years McElroy served as minister of the Getty Street Church of Christ. They left and went to Birmingham Ala., before returning to Uvalde in 1960. He served as pastor of the Getty Street Church of Christ in for approximately 20 years.

He has served as minister of the Knippa Church of Christ since 1981. During that time he also served as an associate minister and as an elder at the Getty Street Church of Christ.

McElroy was a longtime member and had served as president of the Rotary Club. He worked with the Medina Children's Home and homes helping to match children with adoptive families.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years; two sons, Joe McElroy and wife, Charlotte, of Corpus Christi and William Vann McElroy and wife, Gale, of Uvalde; one daughter-in-law, Donna McElroy of Houston; seven grandchildren, Kimberly Olmstead and husband, Michael, Leslie Bywater and husband, Dan, Joely Hendrix and husband, Stephen, Ashley Pattison and husband, Neil, William Vann McElroy Jr., Chad Austin McElroy and Allison Elizabeth McElroy; and eight great-grandchildren, Abigail and Caleb Olmstead, Grayson and Nicholas Hendrix, and Jake, Jonathan, Michelle and Macie Bywater.

He was preceded in death by one son, Dale Alexander McElroy.

Visitation was held at the Rushing-Estes-Knowles Chapel yesterday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Funeral services were held yesterday at 2 p.m. at Getty Street Church of Christ with King Burney officiating.

Interment followed in Hillcrest Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Ricky McNeil, Barrett Miller, H.T. Langford, Steve Cargil, Marvin Kolinek, Ken Garrett Jr., V.J. McElroy Jr. and Chad McElroy.

Honorary pallbearers were men of the Knippa Church of Christ and elders and deacons of the Getty Street Church of Christ.

The family suggests memorials to the Getty Street Church of Christ...Uvalde, TX ; Knippa Church of Christ, Knippa, Texas ; or Medina Children's Home, 21300 Highway 16 North, Medina, TX 78055.