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Elmer Tolson Obituary
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Elmer's life story began on January 3, 1930, born to James and Mary Magdalene Caudill Tolson in Clifford, KY. Following his father's untimely passing, Elmer was raised in an orphanage with his siblings, though they would remain connected. He married the former Louise Bevins on May 16, 1949 in Lexington, KY and they began to build their life together. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky University, participating in ROTC and playing basketball with multiple awards and records. He served in the United States Army from 1953-1955 at Fort Sill, OK. During his time in the service, he continued playing basketball and was named to the All-Star Team for the 4th Army and was also an NBA draft pick in 1953.
In 1955, his next opportunity was an offer to play for the Peoria CATS basketball team, which accompanied a job offer at Caterpillar. He left the team in 1959 with injuries, but would continue to enjoy playing basketball for another 50 years. He retired from Caterpillar in 1992, last working in Mossville.
Elmer was a faithful servant of Christ. He was a longtime member of Woodland Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and was able to use his gift of singing. He was a member of various groups, including his church choir and the Singing Illinoisans. He also enjoyed working in his yard and leading with dessert first.
His legacy will be one of accomplishment, love, and dedication.
He is survived by his wife, Louise; their children, Pamela Anderson, Rebecca (Larry) Fischer, Mark (Janine) Tolson, and John (Donna) Tolson; eight grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and a brother, Gene Tolson.
He was also preceded in death by his eight siblings and a great-grandson, Nathan Pennington.
A celebration of life service will be held at 3:00pm Saturday, June 14, 2025 at Woodland Baptist Church 6915 N. Allen Rd. Peoria, IL. A time to visit with the family will be from 4-5:00pm at the church
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Run-East Peoria, OSF Hospice, or Woodland Baptist Church.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Elmer Tolson, please visit our Tree Store.
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1 Entry
Julie Christian
June 13, 2025
Elmer was a beautiful tenor voice in our choir called 2nd Act. I will miss his sweet smile and clear tenor voice. He had a sweet smile and enjoyed singing with us at various nursing facilities.
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