OBITUARY Thomas Laurence Elcan Jr. July 3, 1932 – January 19, 2019 Thomas Laurence Elcan, Jr., age 86, of New Bern, NC, passed away peacefully at his home on January 19, 2019. He was born on July 3, 1932, in Harlan, KY, to Thomas Laurence Elcan, Sr., and Rose Allen Cawood (nee). He has an older brother, Joel Elcan, of Monroeville, PA, and a younger brother, Gail Elcan (deceased) of St. Albans, WV.
Tom was a great athlete. He was active in football and basketball throughout high school and competitive swimming in college. He graduated from Williamson High School in Williamson, WV, in 1950, and went on to graduate in 1954 with a BS in Business Communications from his beloved West Virginia University where he was active in the ROTC.
He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. Upon graduation, he was hired by the C&P Telephone Company in Charleston, WV, and worked there for three months before joining the U.S. Army to fulfill his military obligation as a lieutenant officer in Germany for two years. After his honorable discharge in 1956, he returned to C&P.
It was there where he met Betty Landon in 1957, his future wife of 60 years. They were married on February 1, 1958, in Charleston, WV. Tom and Betty have three children: Brad Elcan (1959) and Cynthia Heidner Elcan of Allen, TX, Randy Elcan and Cynthia Jackson Elcan.
(1960) of S. Burlington, VT, and Amie Bonan (1962) and Gordon Bonan of Superior, CO. In 1967, Tom was transferred by the phone company to Silver Spring, MD. In 1970, he accepted a position with the Federal Communication Commission in Washington, DC, where he worked until his retirement in 1993.
Tom and Betty then moved to New Bern, NC, where they have been very happy for the last 26 years. Tom and Betty have been active members of the First Presbyterian Church of New Bern since they moved to North Carolina. Tom loved children and made many special memories for his 3 children and 7 grandchildren as they grew up.
He loved camping, coaching basketball, fishing, and Boy Scouts. In recent years, the family had many reunions at beach houses on the Outer Banks with Betty, their children and spouses, and all of their grandchildren: Amanda, Angela, Thomas, Alice, David, Hannah and Nathaniel. His oldest grandchild, Amanda, is expecting his first great grandchild (a girl) at the end of January.
Tom was known by all as a kind and gentle man. He will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to your favorite charity in his name.
Cotten Funeral Home and Crematory assisting family with arrangements.
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