Claude Addison McELROY

Claude Addison McElroy, of Houston, a member of the "Greatest Generation," went home to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, the 20th of July 2014. He was 90 years old.
Born in Houston on the 19th of May 1924, to Alma Elizabeth and William Addison McElroy, Addison spent his childhood living through the Great Depression with his family. He graduated from Lamar High School and enrolled in Rice Institute in September of 1941. He joined the Rice NROTC and was commissioned as a Naval Officer in 1943. He served his country for the next 32 months in the Pacific Theater as a Lieutenant J.G. aboard LST 462, and earned five medals, including three bronze stars, for his dedicated service.
After the war, he finished his education at Rice and in December of 1948, a mutual friend introduced him to Francis Louise Swender. They began dating and by February of 1949 they were engaged. They married on the 11th of June 1949, at Second Presbyterian Church in Houston, and spent the next 56 years together until Louise's death in 2005.
In 1950, Addison and his college friend Preston Frazier started making candles in the McElroy garage and selling them to neighbors during the Christmas season. That was the start of "Faroy Candles," a partnership and a Houston tradition that lasted for over 50 years. Addison and Louise were active members of Pines Presbyterian Church since joining in 1967. Addison believed in the life changing power from the study of the scriptures. For 23 years he was actively involved in Bible Study Fellowship, and he treasured the friendships he developed along the way. Addison was also a member of the Executive Association of Houston for 40 years. He loved tennis and played well into his eighties, and he celebrated his 84th birthday with a sky diving adventure. He was the patriarch of the McElroy extended family after the death of his father, and presided over many exuberant gatherings of family and friends in Houston, the farm in Fayette County, and the river house in New Braunfels.
Addison was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife Louise; and his youngest sister, Catherine Kennon. He is survived by his sons, Paul McElroy and his wife Trish, Mark McElroy, and Brian McElroy and his wife Deana, all of Houston; his brother, David McElroy of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and sister, Ann Anderson of Austin; five grandchildren, four great grandchildren; and a large and loving extended family of cousins, nieces, nephews, and in-laws.
The family expresses their sincere gratitude to all of Addison's wonderful caregivers for their devoted care and affection over the last several years.?
A memorial service is to be conducted at three o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday, the 9th of August 2014, at Pines Presbyterian Church, 12751 Kimberley Lane in Houston, where Dr. Wayne Eberly, Pastor, is to officiate.
Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Fellowship Hall.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Mr. McElroy's name be directed to the McElroy Memorial Fund, Pines Presbyterian Church, 12751 Kimberly Lane, Houston, TX, 77024.