Richard H. Elliott, 91, a long time Phoenix resident, died Sunday February 20, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. He was born December 31, 1919 in Clarksburg, West Virginia the son of Donald F. and Pauline H. Elliott. Richard grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, and graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1938 and DePauw University in 1942. Promptly following graduation he was ordered to Camp Edwards, MA where he entered the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the First Engineer Boat Brigade. From there he was sent to England for more training, and then in late 1942 he was sent to Africa, followed by Italy, Corsica, France, and finally Germany. In the fall of 1945 he returned to the United States, and joined his family who had moved to Phoenix during the war. In 1947 he entered the University of Arizona Law School, graduating in 1950, soon joining the firm of Carson, Cunningham, Messinger & Carson, where he continued to practice law until his retirement as a partner in the firm of Carson, Messinger, Elliott, Laughlin & Ragan in 1992. His practice was general in nature although in later years, he became an acknowledged expert in estate and probate matters. He was a member and officer of the Maricopa Bar Association, a member of the State Bar Association, and was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of both Arizona and the United States. Richard served as general counsel to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona from 1952 to 1992, and was a member of the board of directors of Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company, located in Kokomo Indiana, as well as other companies and charitable organizations. In 1946 he married Maxine Yeatman who passed away in 1992. They raised a family that included daughter Melinda, sons James (Lynn) and William (Linda) Elliott and three granddaughters; Sara, Suzanne and Brittne (Ryan) Hidde and great-granddaughter Mikayla. He was preceded in death by two sisters Sally and
Emily Elliott, but is survived by his brother, Donald F. (Dorothy) Elliott Jr. of Indianapolis, and their children Kenneth, Richard (Anne) and Emily (Robert) Browning. Richard was a long-time member of the Phoenix Country Club and the Wigwam Country Club where he pursued his favorite pastime, golf. His interest in golf was developed early in life, grew during his years at DePauw and the University of Arizona, and was cultivated weekly on the many wonderful courses in the Phoenix area. In 1975 he was introduced to the sport of Soaring and became an avid glider pilot spending many hours at Estrella Sailport near Maricopa. He logged more than 1000 flights during the next 20 years, loving every minute of his more than 1500 hours in the sky above the Arizona desert. Services will be held 11:00 AM Friday March 18, 2011 at Messinger Mortuary, 7601 East Indian School Road. The family is suggesting that donations in honor of Richard be made to Hospice of the Valley (www.hov.org), The Soaring Society of America or The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org).