Richard Lee Elam was born to the late Milton and Lettie (Thompson) Elam on June 14th, 1931, in Gibson, Tennessee. He was one of four siblings. He loved the Lord, accepted Christ as his personal savior, was baptized and loved reading his Bible.
Mr. Elam served faithfully on the Usher Board of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church and under the teachings of his beloved pastor, Reverend Otis Moss, Jr He peacefully went with the Lord December 6th, 2018. After leaving school to help his family, Richard proudly returned to complete his education and ventured to do more.
After spending time as a young man in the military, later in life he began working in an entry level position at the Albert M. Higley construction company where he became a valued leader and Labor Foreman. After retiring 20 years ago, he is still remembered today for his dedication and hard work. Personally deciding to acquire multiple licenses to support his passion for building his own home and owning his own business , RE Construction, Renovation and Remodeling, he was a sought after general contractor.
A man of integrity, he was honored on his 85th birthday by former President Barack Obama. Richard Lee Elam was married to Pat Clayton-Elam on June 5th, 2007. Together they enjoyed Ronnie, Sr. (Celeste), Tomeka (Virgil), Tomesha (Darnell, Sr.), Felicia, and Consuela.
Richard dearly loved his family. He was an extremely driven and suave man. A supreme dresser adorned with a brilliant smile, whose style could not be beat.
He had great wisdom and vast stories made vibrant by his many, many trips throughout the United States and abroad. Always ready to go, see, and experience the world whether by car, plane, or on a cruise. He always made people feel welcomed and tried his best to keep his family together, cultivating time with friends and family, dancing and being a regular winner at solitaire put him in a league of his own.
A man of extensive talents including gardening, cooking and sewing. One of his many pleasures in life was making a delicious meal with divine desserts (never gaining a pound), passing down the joy of cooking to his family with recipes from his mother’s cookbook, his favorite. A consummate gardener of flowers and vegetation, he kept life blooming everywhere.
He is such a blessing to us all. Richard was preceded in death by his father and mother, Brother: John T. (Bessie); Sisters: Jossie, and Birdie Mai; Sons: Ricky, Larry, Derrick, Stan and Rod (Sharon) and Daughters: Mary and Vicky. Richard leaves to celebrate the memories of his life a host of grand and great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, family and friends.
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