Darrell R. Elsea, age 83, of Biggsville, Illinois, passed away at
Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Hospice House on Saturday April
5, 2025 at 3:10 am. Darrell was born on April 12, 1941 in St.Louis,
Missouri and is the son of Richard Leslie and Ethel Lavon Johnson Elsea.
Darrell was raised in St.Louis until the age of 13, where he attended
grade schools. After moving to Vicksburg, Mississippi, he attended and
graduated from H.V. Cooper High School in 1959 and joined the United
States Army Reserve at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. While at Fort Belvoir,
Darrell met Carol Rawhouser during a Thanksgiving dinner in Washington,
D.C. He and Carol married on June 30, 1960 in Biggsville. Darrell and
Carol moved to Vicksburg in 1960 where both spent all of their
professional careers with the U.S. Corp of Engineers. With the Corp,
Darrell spent years testing the concrete construction used in airport
runways all over the world and later worked in the Corp’s computer
technology department before retiring in 1995. Darrell is survived by
his wife, Carol Elsea of Biggsville; his sister, Wanda Gray and her
husband, Gene, of Atlanta, Georgia; and his brother-in-law David
Rawhouser and his wife, Jill, of Arlington, Texas. He is also survived
by three nephews, Brent Gray of Atlanta, Darren Gray of Gulfport,
Mississippi, and Patrick D. Rawhouser and his wife, Laura, of Little
Rock, Arkansas, and great-nephews, Eli Gray and Anderson Gray, and
great-niece, Dani Rawhouser. As per his request, at present no
visitaiton or service is planned by his family. Cremation is being
accorded by Turnbull Funeral Home in Oquawka, IL. His family plans a
celebration at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the
American Cancer Society and may be mailed to Carol at 1250 State Highway
94 Biggsville, Illinois 61418. To leave a remembrance or for more
information please visit www.turnbullfuneralhomes.com
