Elaine K Jarrell's Obituary
Elaine (Kinsey) Jarrell was called home on February 14, 2022 while at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse, after a brief, but intense battle with ovarian cancer. She was 83 years old. Born on April 30, 1938 in Clinton, Pennsylvania, she was the youngest daughter of Mildred (Zimmerman) and Alfred Kinsey. She graduated from Ligioner High School in 1956. She then married Donald Perdew on May 31, 1958. Don’s service in the Air Force took them to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Two years later, their son Brian was born. Tragically, Don passed away suddenly on December 9, 1961. The next year she met Ronald Jarrell and they were married November 3, 1962. Following Ron’s adoption of Brian, Elaine and Ron had two additional children: Debra and Eric. Ron passed away on October 5, 2013 after a long illness. Their loving example of marriage lasted fifty years. Elaine was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of Dover where she was involved in American Baptist Women Ministry, Chrysalis Choir, and numerous other ministries. In addition, she and Ron spent over ten years coordinating the church’s food pantry. Elaine was also one of several women who were instrumental in establishing the Christian Women’s Club of Dover. In addition to several careers in retail, Elaine was a full-time homemaker, maintaining a loving and secure environment for her family. She was also a voracious reader and enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles.
In addition to being predeceased by her parents, and husbands, Elaine’s very dear older sister, Rose Wanda Hess, passed away on January 27, 2022. She is survived by her son Brian Jarrell (June), her daughter Debra Boch (John), and her son Eric Jarrell (Maria). She is also survived by four grandchildren: Christy (CJ), Jennifer, Eleanor, and Jason (Dawn), as well as 12 nieces and nephews, and many dear friends at First Baptist Church of Dover, and in Springfield, Pennsylvania, where Elaine and Ron lived for 17 years.
Services will be held at Trader’s Funeral Home, 12 Lotus Street, Dover, Delaware on February 25, 2022. Family visitation, and a viewing, will begin at 11 AM, followed by a memorial service at 1 PM. Interment will follow immediately after the service at Lakeside Cemetery, Dover. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Elaine’s memory to the Food Pantry at First Baptist Church of Dover or Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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