James Eldon Warner

James Eldon Warner, 78, of Waco, Texas, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, August 1, 2020, at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center. The memorial service will be 2:00 p.m., Thursday, August 6, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Chapel, 6101 Bosque Boulevard in Waco. The service will also be live-streamed with the link available on the funeral home website. The family will be available for visitation at the chapel one hour prior to the service. Eldon was born April 25, 1942, to David Neil Warner and Selma Thomas Warner in Merkel, Texas. They provided him with a shining example of how to be a good Christian, a devoted spouse, and a wonderful father. He carried on that legacy. He grew up on the family farm just outside of Tye, Texas, where the family created decades of many wonderful memories. He graduated from Abilene High School in 1960 and McMurry College in 1964. He drove a Mrs. Baird’s bread truck to put himself through school. He met Joan Danielson at McMurry in chemistry class. After graduation, they married on June 11, 1964. This year they celebrated 56 happy years together. They began their married life in Abilene where Eldon worked in the insurance field. They moved around several times due to job changes and lived in Dallas, San Angelo, and then settled in Midland, where he became “Daddy” to Kendra and Adam. Another job change led the family back to Abilene for a couple years and the final move to Waco in 1981, where they joined Woodway First United Methodist Church and made many dear friends. Eldon had a successful career in insurance before leaving to become self-employed as the owner of Waco Salvage Pool and later Budget Storage. He always said he should have become self-employed years before he actually did. He officially retired in 2016. Eldon was not only a devoted husband to Joan and great father to Kendra and Adam and “Pawpaw” to his grandchildren, but also a wise man of many talents. He had a keen intelligence, wry sense of humor, a good singing voice inherited from his father, and he could fix anything. Joan said he should have been an engineer because he enjoyed the challenge of engineering fixes to problems. He loved working on his old truck, watching Baylor Lady Bears basketball, fishing, smoky Texas barbecue, Tex-Mex, and “puttering” around the house and yard where he always had projects. He was very busy in retirement! The family is comforted that he is in the arms of Jesus and his mother no doubt greeted him with a bowl of warm peach cobbler. Eldon was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his devoted wife, Joan; brother, Neil Warner of Roseville, California; sister, Suzanne Hobbs and husband, Virgil, of Abilene, Texas; sister-in-law, Nancy Lively and husband, Paul, of Highland Village, Texas; brother-in-law, Steven Danielson and wife, Catherine, of Sacramento, California; daughter, Kendra Millington of Waco; son, Adam Warner and wife, Shayne, of Plano, Texas; grandchildren, Mats Millington of Waco; and Sophia and Lindsay Warner of Plano; and numerous extended family members. Memorials may be made to Woodway First United Methodist Church. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our "Tribute Wall" at www.WHBfamily.com.