Elroy Kinder

Elroy Frederick Kinder passed away Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau.

Elroy was born Jan. 22, 1934, at his home southwest of Gordonville in Cape Girardeau County to Roy Lester and Alma Clara Krueger Kinder. He was baptized at the home of Anna and Elmer Hamilton in Morley, Missouri, by the Rev. Elmer Koerber on March 17, 1934. He was confirmed in 1959 by the Rev. William Opitz at Hanover Lutheran Church.

He attended the one-room Liberty School in first and second grades, the Marquette School in third through eighth grades and College High School, graduating in 1951.

After working at Sunny Hill Dairy for two years, he entered the U.S. Army on July 14, 1954, completed basic and advanced basic at Camp Chaffee, near Fort Smith, Arkansas. He served 18 months in Ludwigsburg, near Stuttgart, Germany, as company clerk and then battalion personnel clerk with the 5315 Quartermaster Co., 7th U.S. Army. He attained the rank of specialist three with a letter of commendation from his company commander.

After his reassignment to the U.S. Army Reserve on June 15, 1956, Elroy attended Southeast Missouri State University, earning a bachelor's degree in education with majors in the biological sciences and minors in geology and history.

He was employed by St. Louis Corps of Engineers for seven years in the district headquarters located in the old post office building, Boatmen's Bank building and Frisco building in downtown St. Louis. His duties included evaluating Civil Service examinations for various corps positions, eventually working as management analyst in implementing district administrative operations to computer systems beginning with the punch card method of data analysis.

Elroy was employed as a biology teacher in Missouri schools in Pattonville, Sikeston and Cape Girardeau at L.J. Schultz Middle School. He served as graduate assistant at Southeast Missouri State for several summers while earning a master's degree in guidance and counseling in 1973. He also worked part-time with the adult education program. He retired from teaching in June 1992 after 30 years of service.

While working in St. Louis, June 17, 1961, he met his future bride, Mary Susan Sciortino, a nursing student at St. John's Hospital School of Nursing. Susan was the daughter of Joseph and Gladys Sutton Sciortino of Cape Girardeau.

On Sept. 8, 1962, they were married at the St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau.

Since retiring, he was employed as administrative assistant to the Rev. Jeffrey Sippy at Hanover Lutheran Church. He was a member of Hanover and served as Bible class teacher for 25 years and as congregation chairman, elder, member of the Board of Education and congregation secretary. He was active on the Old Church Committee which administers the historic church and school. He researched and prepared the nomination of the buildings to the National Register of Historic Places, receiving the award in 1987. In addition to the nomination he has researched and written the history of Lutheranism in Southeast Missouri and the history of Hanover Lutheran Church and its impact on the spread of Lutheran churches in this area. Other writings include many "bits of history", from oral history interviews with older members of Hanover and community.

He has edited and contributed to "Arnsberg", a history of that North Cape County village and the St. John Lutheran Church of Arnsberg, now long since disbanded. He edited and wrote more than 200 monthly newsletters from the late 1980s until 2004.

Elroy has been a friend to the Concordia Historical Institute in St. Louis, receiving three prestigious awards for his work in writing the histories of Lutheranism, the preservation of local cemeteries and old churches. He received a most appreciative letter of commendation for his work in helping secure the noted Pastor Henry Gerecke letter of World War II Nuremberg Trial and was involved in the transportation and presentation of the letter to the Institute. He also served three years on the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission in the late 1990s.

He served as scoutmaster for Troop 8, Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, from 1982 until 1986. He worked as science merit badge counselor and guided several scouts, including his two sons, David and John, through the Eagle Scout program. He served as nature director for two summers at Boy Scout Camp Lewallen near Silva, Missouri. In 1985, he was the camp director overseeing all camping and scouting activities for more than 800 scouts from the Southeast Missouri and Bootheel areas.

Elroy served as chairman of German Evangelical Cemetery Association near Dutchtown and Thompson Cemetery Association near Gordonville for over 50 years and Arnsberg Cemetery Association near Friedheim. All are family cemeteries that have been restored, preserved and provided for with donations and the establishment of perpetual care funds. He wrote detailed histories of each. Other cemeteries that he worked to preserve are the Old Hanover Cemetery, Shady Grove Cemetery east of Dutchtown and the Krueger Cemetery, located behind Hanover Church on the bank above Cape Lacroix Creek.

Retiring from the position at Hanover in 2004, Elroy and Mary Susan sold their home and property in September 2006, located at the southwest corner of Bloomfield and Mount Auburn roads and moved to a smaller home four blocks east on Bloomfield Road.

He was active in family businesses: Kinder Motor Company, First Auto Credit, EF Kinder Properties, JJK Development, AnimalDecor.com and Home Place Collectibles and Antiques.

He had numerous interests and hobbies including genealogy and served many years as chairman of the annual Kinder family reunion. He loved to go to Capital Sand and watch the trucks and all the activities, as well as Bollinger Mill, Castor River and Lake Girardeau. He especially liked to drive past his birth and home place west of Cape Girardeau. He enjoyed photography, nature study, travel and collecting antique clocks, tools, tractors and vintage farm equipment. He proudly displayed his collection of historic Bibles and two sets of 50 volumes of 1700s Martin Luther's Works.

He was an avid reader and researcher in the latest knowledge of our planet and our place. He was very much informed on Intelligent Design, the beginning of human life from time of conception and the Holy Bible, being able to tell "the way to go to heaven" and using his love of science to tell "the way the heavens go".

Elroy cared for his dear wife Mary Susan, and he will join her at Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield.

The love of Elroy's life, Mary Susan, departed this life in 2014. He was also preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Lorene Keller and Arlene Kight; and daughter-in-law, Cheryl Kinder.

Survivors include two sons, David and John Kinder; two daughters, Kathy Kinder (Jeff Overbeck) and Jill (Chris) Haman; grandson, Jared Kinder (Caitlin Benecke); dear friends, Cape Girardeau County History Center, Cliff Overbeck, Jeff Sippy and "best buddy" Pastor Zack Strong.

Special thanks to Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau and Crown Hospice for caring for Elroy.

Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan, 17, at Missouri Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield, with Pastor Zack Strong officiating. Interment will be in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Christ Church of the Heartland in Cape Girardeau or Trinity Lutheran School in Cape Girardeau.

Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.