Obituary of S. Elora Persons

S. Elora Persons, age 90, went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on April 12, 2017. She was born in Hartford City, Indiana as Sarah Elora Hiatt. She attended Taylor university in 1944 and then, Cleveland Bible College in 1946 and 1947 where she met her husband-to-be, Willard Persons. They married in 1948 and had their first son in 1949 who passed away with pneumonia 81/2 months later. They then moved to Great Valley, New York where her husband pastored a church. They had 3 more children. Elora was a strong influence on their lives, as she was always involved in church wherever they attended. She had several jobs as the years passed including in the bakery department at Parkview Supermarket in Salamanca, New York. Her Husband, Willard passed away in June of 1998 and then she moved from Great Valley to Salamanca into a senior housing facility. When she started having difficulty taking care of herself she moved to Zion, Illinois to be closer to her daughter and some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her last 3 years were spend in the Grove at the Lake nursing home where she loved singing the old hymns in the Sunday service. She is survived by her 3 children, W. James (Debbie) Persons of Loch Sheldrake, NY, John C. (Linda) Persons of Alvin, TX, and Mary (Tom) McClure of Zion, IL; 13 grandchildren, Tamera (Mike) Hyde, Tim (Dorothy) Persons, Talitha (John) Grimm, Tom Persons, Marylou Persons, Amber Persons, David Persons, Sara Persons, Katlyn Persons, April (Mike) Beatty, Beverly (Andy) Lindstrom, Kimberly (Joe) Sierra, and George (Sonia) McClure; and 18 great-grandchildren. She was preceded to Heaven by her husband of 49 years, Willard Persons; her first son, Addison Everett Persons; and her oldest grandchild, Angela Kay McClure. Her final arrangements will be made by Congdon Funeral Home in Zion, IL and she will be laid to rest in Franklinville, NY next to her husband in a private ceremony attended by just the family. Donations may be made to Grace Missionary Church, 1415 27th Street, Zion, IL, which was the last church she was a member of and which she enjoyed attending. Thanks much to all who visited her and helped her through her last 19 years without her husband.