Obit of McElroy, Frances Louise (Panny) - Pittsburg County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Shelly Lynch 17 Dec 2006 Return to Pittsburg County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/pittsburg/pittsburg.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== ::Memorial Park Cemetery--Tulsa OK McELROY -- Frances Louise (Panny), devoted wife, mother, and business leader, died Tuesday, October 10, 2006, after a brief illness. She was 84. Born October 16, 1921, in McAlester, OK; Panny became a life-long Tulsan. She attended Pershing Elementary, Wilson Junior High, and Central High School, where she was a member of the famous Class of '39. She later attended Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater. In March of 1942, she married Arthur H. (Art) McElroy of Tulsa. They returned to Tulsa in 1946, after his service in the U.S. Navy. Back in Tulsa, she settled in as a homemaker and mother, raising their 2 daughters and being active as a leader in church activities, school PTA, and Girl Scouts. In 1962, their son arrived and her motherly duties started anew. In 1953, she and Art founded what would become McElroy Manufacturing, Inc., as a specialty job shop in their garage. Their Company began its rise in the late 60's, as several of its product offerings established McElroy as a leader in the markets it served. As McElroy Manufacturing, Inc. grew, Panny was the strong and quiet lady behind the scenes, who ran all the financial affairs of the business - all while remaining an active and dedicated mother, with involvement in Elementary, Junior High, and High School PTA, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and the OSPE Woman's Auxiliary. After the death of Art in 1988, she assumed the role of Chairman, CEO, and President. Panny retired in 1996. Together Art and Panny created an amazing family, legacy, and business with a global reach which lives on today through their 3 children and their families. The company remains family owned, growth oriented, and dynamic. Today it is lead by her son and two daughters. Throughout her life, association with the Class of '39 had been important to her. She had kept close ties to this group and had been active in the organization of all the reunions. She was a lifetime member of All Souls Unitarian Church, where she had been active in the Day and Evening Alliances, served 6 years on the Church's Board of Trustees, and had founded the Ministerial Scholarship Program in recent years. Panny was a life-long patron of the Arts. After the passing of her husband, she trained and served as a docent (Gillie) at Tulsa's Gilcrease Museum of Art. Survivors include 1 brother, Fred Morris Welsh, Jr. and his wife, Jan of Richardson, TX; 2 daughters, Donna McElroy Dutton and her husband, David of Tulsa, Peggy McElroy Tanner and her husband, David of Bixby; 1 son, A.H. "Chip" McElroy, II and his wife, Sharon of Tulsa; 3 granddaughters, 2 grandsons, and 2 great- grandsons. Panny was preceded in death by: her father, Fred Morris Welsh; her infant daughter, Jennie Sue; her husband of 46 years, Art; and her mother, Clara Etta Welsh. Service is set for 11 a.m., Friday, October 13, 2006 at All Souls Unitarian Church. Private Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, under the direction of Stanleys Funeral Service. Friends are contributing to the All Souls Ministerial Scholarship Fund at All Souls Unitarian Church. Stanleys, 743-6271. Published in the Tulsa World on 10/12/2006. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Pittsburg County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/pittsburg/pittsburg.htm