Joe F. McElhattan

Joe F. McElhattan, 93, a well-known Emlenton resident and generous community benefactor, went to be with the Lord late Monday evening, April 19, 2021.

Joe was born in St. Petersburg, Clarion County on September 18, 1927.  He was the son of the late Ward and Beaulah Van Guilder McElhattan.

Joe was a 1945 graduate of St. Petersburg Richland Twp. High School and earned a B.S. in education at Clarion State College.

He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and retired as the purchase manager at Penreco in Karns City following many years of service.  Joe was a long time active member of the Emlenton Presbyterian Church where he was an elder and served on church session and was a generous supporter of the Fish Food Cupboard.  Joe was 69 year member of the Parker Allegheny Canby Masonic Lodge #521 F&AM, The Consistory Valley of Coudersport, and the Zem Zem Temple in Erie, and in his early years, he played trumpet in the Shriner’s Band.  Joe was a skilled trumpeter and a lover of big band music, which he enjoyed listening to daily.  He was an avid car enthusiast, having owned more than 40 cars through the years, many of them classic, antique, and custom, and was well-known for keeping them in immaculate condition.  Joe and his wife, Barbara, were most “at home” on the family farm in Big Bend, where Joe enjoyed keeping manicured grounds, spending time in the garage, and hosting many friends who would drop by. Joe and his wife, Barbara, were longtime friends and generous benefactors to The Emlenton Fire Dept. and many other local service organizations and community projects.

Joe is survived by his loving wife of more than 65 years, Barbara Crawford McElhattan, whom he married at the Emlenton Presbyterian Church on August 7, 1954.  Also surviving is a son, Fred McElhattan and his wife, Kim and two grandchildren, Shelby and Joey McElhattan, all of Vista, California; his sister, Mrs. Theodore Judy Switzer of Knox, two sisters-in-law, Ruth McElhattan and Elizabeth Smith, and a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Elizabeth J. “Betse” McElhattan Modesette, who passed away April 8, 2010, his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Fred and Geraldine Crawford, and his brothers and sisters, Earl, Ray, Tom, Beatrice, Nancy, and Betty Ann, as well as a number of brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Friends will be received at the Hile Funeral Home Inc., 1204 Kerr Avenue, Emlenton, from 1 - 3 and 6 – 8 p.m. Sunday.  A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday from the Emlenton Presbyterian Church, Emlenton, with church pastor, Rev. Dr. Darrell Knopp, officiating.  Interment will be in Crawford Memorial Cemetery, Emlenton.  Military honors will be accorded by the VETS Honor Guard, Franklin.  Members of Parker Allegheny Canby Lodge will conduct a memorial service for their departed brother, Joe McElhattan, at 7:45 p.m. Sunday at the Hile Funeral Home in Emlenton.  Memorial contributions may be made to The Emlenton Volunteer Fire Dept., PO Box 371, Emlenton, PA 16373, The Emlenton Area Ambulance Service, PO Box 346, Emlenton, PA 16373, or the Emlenton Fish Food Cupboard, PO Box 127, Emlenton, PA 16373.  Condolences may be sent by visiting www.hilefh.com.

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