Elton Morel

Elton S. Morel, M.D., beloved husband and father, passed away on Friday evening, January 18, 2008, after valiantly battling a series of major illnesses. The son of medical missionaries, Dr. Morel was born March 17, 1933, in the Belgian Congo. Dedicated to the service of others, he chose the field of medicine and graduated from Loma Linda School of Medicine in 1958. After completing his internship and residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Los Angeles County Hospital, he and his family served as missionaries in the Philippines for eight years. During that time, Dr. Morel served as medical director of the Manila Sanitarium & Hospital and ran the ObGyn internship and residency program. Upon his return to the United States in 1971, he and his family moved to Fresno, where he began a long and respected OBGyn practice. He retired in 1995. In addition, Dr. Morel served terms as Chief of Staff at Fresno Community Hospital and on a St. Agnes medical advisory board. A lifelong Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. Morel was dedicated to the Fresno Central Seventhday Adventist Church, serving for over thirty years in various leadership roles for the church and the Central California Conference. The family wishes to publicly acknowledge the care and compassion extended to their father by his caregiver Tom Mendiola and the dedicated staffs of Orchard Park Assisted Living and St. Agnes Hospice. Elton Morel is survived by Carol Courville Morel, his beloved wife of 53 years; his sister, Elaine Westerhout of Newport Beach; and his children, daughter, Deborah Tonella and her husband Raymond of the Napa Valley; daughter, Catherine Spaulding and her husband Richard of Pleasant Hill; and son, Elton and his wife Alyssa of Arlington, Virginia. A Celebration of Dr. Morel's Life will be held at the Fresno Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2980 E. Yale Avenue, 93703, on Saturday afternoon, January 26, 2008, at 3:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Dr. Morel's honor to a cause which you feel shares his passionate concern for humanity. STEPHENS & BEAN CHAPEL 202 N. Teilman Fresno, Ca. (559)268-9292