Vincent DePaul Elko, Sr. - Obituary

incent “Vince” DePaul Elko, 91, went Home to be with our Lord on Thursday, March 18, 2021, in Annapolis, MD. Vince was born on May 20, 1929, in Chesterfield County, VA to the late John and Tonie Elko. He was lovingly referred to as “Penny” as a child. Vince served his country during the Korean War as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. Following his service, he returned to Virginia Tech and earned his degree in mechanical engineering. Vince became licensed as a Professional Engineer and worked for the U.S. Department of Defense testing aircraft launch and recovery systems. Following his retirement from DOD, he continued his career in private industry. After living in Silver Spring, MD for many years, he retired to Nags Head, NC then moved to Sutter Creek, CA with his last move to Annapolis, MD. Vince loved surf fishing along the North Carolina coastline. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Lu Elko; three children, Gail Brownlee and her husband, Bob of Deale, MD, Lucille McGuirk and husband, Mike of Jackson, CA, and Vince Elko, Jr., and wife, Sally of Brunswick, GA; a granddaughter, Gaylen and husband, Steve of Deale, MD; two great-grandsons, Jeremiah and Warren; three sisters, Anna Lee Von Richter, Kathleen Forlenza, and Louise Fisher; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by four siblings, Joseph, John, and George Elko, and Mary Goodwin. Vince was very close with his siblings, their spouses, and all his nieces and nephews. Even after marrying and having a family, he still spent time visiting with all of them. His memories are filled with these times and his extended family. Especially in his later years, he asked and talked about all of you often. He missed you, remembered you, and asked when he would see you again. He thought of and remembered you with much love and laughter. His granddaughter, Gaylen, grew especially close to her Pop-Pop, and she has precious memories of making Dollar Store runs, getting donuts from “Teeter Totter” (Harris Teeter), and Vince putting her in the bicycle seat behind him while he pedaled all over the neighborhood. He was her “horsey,” and they played for hours every day. She misses him and loved him deeply. His children, Gail, Lucille, and Vincent, remember his antics. Of course, there are many but a few we wanted to mention to give you a glimpse of his dry humor. As mentioned above, Dad loved to surf fish at the Outer Banks. One time, while at Cape Hatteras, we were all out fishing as there was a run, aka The Bluefish Blitz. Vincent ran inside yelling, “Dad’s killed 27 lives.” Dad had just pulled in 27 fish straight in a row. We all remember that! We loved to eat at McDonald’s when we were small. One April Fool’s Day, Dad planned an elaborate ruse. He made an audio recording, placed it in our stereo console, and proceeded to play it when we came downstairs. By the time we finished listening to that recording, there was mass hysteria and crying….alas, our favorite McDonald’s had burned to the ground…or so the “newscaster” pronounced! Dad especially loved dogs, birds, and racoons. We could regale you with many stories of Dad’s maneuvering to stave off the racoons raiding the bird feeders!! He was deeply loved by his children and will be greatly missed. In his elder years, Dad grew to have a wicked sweet tooth and loved all things chocolate and especially ice cream. He was definitely a family man with a very sweet and gentle nature. Most of all, Dad was the love of Mom’s life. They spent 61½ years together. His mother-in-law always referred to him as her “diamond in the rough.” He was the real Southern gentleman. Most of all we want to share our hope, the hope we have in Jesus. For you see, we know we will see Dad again in Heaven because he believed in Jesus (as do we!). It is this faith and hope that enables us to thank Him for the man we were blessed with, the time we had to share with him, and the knowledge that we will see him again. Before a major surgery Dad had in August of 2010, he was asked, Do you believe in Jesus? He said yes. Do you believe He gave His life for you and that you have Him in your heart? He again said yes. Because of this, we have no doubt of where Dad is. You too can have this faith and hope simply by believing in Jesus. Dad, you are greatly missed but we know you are safe and sound at Home! ‘Til we see you again… A Celebration of Life Service will take place at a later date. Please take a moment to sign the family’s online guestbook by visiting the Memory Wall tab above.