Donald B. Elliott

1931 - 2024

Donald B. Elliott, age 92, of New Windsor, died Monday, October 7, 2024 at Citizens Care Center, Frederick. Born October 18, 1931 in Baltimore, he was the son of the late Donald B. Elliott Sr. and Mary P. Marker Elliott. He was the husband of Jeanne Baker Elliott who passed away in 2009.

Don was a graduate of Kenwood High School and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, receiving his B.S. degree in 1957. He completed additional studies in pharmaceutical chemistry at St. John's University in New York, and was a member of the Phi Delta Chi pharmaceutical fraternity.

He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1951, serving in the hospital corps from 1951-1960. After attending officer candidate school, Don was promoted to Ensign in 1960 and retired in 1971 as a Lieutenant Commander.

In 1964 he married Jeanne Baker, whom he met at work at a local pharmacy. In 1968 he purchased the New Windsor Pharmacy from Robert A. "Doc" Pilson, which was located in a section of the building adjacent to the New Windsor State Bank on Main Street, where he and Jeanne were the main licensed pharmacists. In 1975, he and his wife opened the Union Bridge Pharmacy to accommodate the many patrons living in that area. He operated both until retiring at the age of 68.

Don was one of several concerned citizens who formed the nucleus of a group which focused on obtaining portable classrooms for the New Windsor School. These were like-minded citizens who wanted to keep the school in the community, so they lobbied the town and county officials to build new ball fields to accommodate the growing New Windsor Recreation Council leagues. His first attempt at politics and to make a difference for the town was his appointment to the New Windsor Zoning Board. His interest in politics grew as he noticed that people in the elected office were the ones who made the decisions that most affected the quality of life of the citizens.

In 1983 he ran for the Maryland House of Delegates but was unsuccessful. He ran again in 1987 and won a seat as a delegate in district 4B, which represented parts of Carroll and Frederick Counties. He became a conservative legislator in the Maryland House of Delegates, which lasted for 28 years. Don served seven terms until January of 2015, mainly on the Environmental Matters Committee, the Health and Government Operations Committee and task forces dealing with universal access to quality and affordable health care, long term care, health care delivery and many other areas dealing with health care issues.

Don worked with then Maryland Governor William Donald Shaffer on public works and his influence promoted the building and construction of the New Windsor Middle School. He was very proud of several bills that he sponsored: a bill to require due process for persons falsely accused of child abuse, a bill which established five Carroll County Commissioners districts, a bill to permit small businesses permission to pay property taxes in two installments, and in 2014, a bill to require a fairer distribution of state money for waste water treatment plant construction and upgrades.

He was especially pleased working with the Ehrlich administration for the approval of the extension of High Street in New Windsor, rendering improved access to the New Windsor Fire Department and large trucks. When Don joined the House of Delegates, there were sixteen Republican seats and when he retired this number had increased to fifty seats. In 2002 Don was chosen to deliver the annual Lincoln Day Address to the House of Delegates Assembly.

Don received numerous awards and was especially proud of the ones from the Maryland Pharmaceutical Association, the EPIC Pharmacy, and the one from the Town of New Windsor, presented on May 7, 2014. In 2010, the Charles "Mac" Mathias award was created in the House of Delegates to recognize a person who demonstrated the ability to work in a bipartisan manner to get legislation passed, one recipient to represent the majority party and the other, the minority party. Don was the first recipient from the Republican Party for this prestigious award.

Don was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Taneytown and a member of the Mayflower Society-the Elliott family traces back to the Mayflower and Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was a lifetime member of the American Legion, Mt. Airy and V.F.W. Post 8806 of Union Bridge, and a member of the Union Bridge Lions Club.

As a member of the legislature, he participated in the Maryland Veterans Caucus from 2006 to 2015, the Maryland Rural Caucus from 2002 to 2015, and the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus from 2001 to 2015. In 2015 Don was elected to the New Windsor Hall of Fame. In his early years, he participated in thirteen marathons, many times with his friend and local physician, Dr. J.H. Caricofe.

Surviving are his sons, Christopher W. Elliott of New Windsor and his partner Loriann Scully, Douglas R. Elliott and his wife Celeste of New Orleans, LA and Gregory S. Elliott and his wife Ana Paula of Gaithersburg, MD; two grandchildren, Elizabeth Elliott and Benjamin Elliott; two sisters, Harriet Clingan of Westminster and Angela Hofmann of Troy, MI, as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Thomas Elliott in 2020.

A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, October 17 with a family eulogy to begin at 10:45 A.M. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 44 Frederick St., Taneytown, MD 21787, with Fr. Leandro Fazolini as celebrant. Military interment will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery with honors by the Navy.

The family will receive friends 2-4 and 6-8 PM, Wednesday, October 16 at Hartzler Funeral Home, 310 Church St., New Windsor.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Joseph's Catholic Church at the above address.

You may leave a message or memory on his "tribute wall" at www.hartzlerfuneralhome.com Donald B. Elliott