Elder, Nora 

KILGORE -- Services for Nora Kennedy Elder, 92, of Kilgore, will be 2 p.m. Saturday, 
February 18, 2006, at the First Presbyterian Church, with the Reverend Dr. William J. 
Ingersoll and the Reverend Scott Hookey officiating. Burial will follow in Kilgore 
Cemetery. Mrs. Elder died Wednesday afternoon, February 15, 2006, in Kilgore. She was 
born December 4, 1913, in Lovelady, Texas. Mrs. Elder graduated from Trinity High 
School and attended the College of Marshall. Her roommate, Nita Elder, introduced 
Nora to her cousin E.C. 'Gene' Elder of Kilgore. On June 16, 1931, Nora married Gene 
and moved to Kilgore. The First Presbyterian Church was a big part of her life. She 
joined the church in August of 1931 and was a deacon, an elder, Women's Circle member, 
and a member of the KYB Sunday School Class, whom she hosted many years for an annual 
Christmas brunch. Mrs. Elder was well-known for her exquisite needlework which adorns 
church paraments, stoles, chair cushions, and a prayer bench that was needlepointed for 
her granddaughter's wedding. She was a life member of the Women of the Church and 
delighted in hosting the annual children's Easter egg hunt on her lawn across from the 
church. Mrs. Elder was named the 1981 First Lady of Kilgore by Beta Sigma Phi. She was 
an emeritus member of the Kilgore Garden Club, a former member of the Daughters of the 
American Revolution, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the American Heart 
Association Board of Directors, and the Kilgore Woman's Club. She was a life member of 
the Kilgore Independent School District PTA and participated in many community 
activities along with her husband, a former mayor of Kilgore. Mrs. Elder is survived 
by her daughter and son-in-law, Nora Gene and Jerry Eubanks of Longview; a brother, Dan 
Kennedy of College Station; four grandchildren, Jay and his wife, Karen Eubanks, of 
McAlester, Oklahoma, Shelley and her husband, Jeff Potter, of Longview, Robert and his 
wife, Lupe Murphy, of Cibilo, Texas, and Pat and his wife, Lucy Murphy, of The 
Woodlands; six great-grandchildren, Erin and her husband, Scott Crowell, of New York 
City, Gena Eubanks of College Station, Victoria Murphy of Cibilo, Sarah Michele Murphy 
of Cibilo, Sarah Frances Murphy of The Woodlands, and Campbell Murphy of The Woodlands; 
and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 67 
years; and a daughter, Sarah Murphy. She will be remembered for a life of virtue, for 
her generosity of spirit, and for shaping thecharacter of the community she loved so 
much. The family will receive friends 5-7 p.m. this evening, February 17, 2006, at Rader 
Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Eugene C. and Nora Elder 
Scholarship Fund, c/o Kilgore High School, 301 N. Kilgore St., Kilgore, TX 75662; or to 
the First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 1216, Kilgore, TX 75663-1216. The family would 
like to extend a special thanks to her caregivers, Era Murphy, Kay Thomas, Ethel Mae 
Bradley, Mary Walker, Mary Sanders, Betty Pope, and the wonderful staff of the Gregg 
Home for the Aged.

Published in the Longview News-Journal on 2/17/2006.