Elvin Eugene Eberly was born on January 10, 1953, to Amos and Lucy (Martin) Eberly in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. He was welcomed by his big sister, Ruthann, and he delighted in the siblings that followed: Carl, Elaine, Debra, John, and Dawn.

He surrendered his life to the Lord early in life and desired to love and serve Him all his days. His love of children and adventure took him to Canada, where he worked as a boys’ supervisor and maintenance man in a private school. It was here he met the love of his life, Doris King (daughter of Howard and Jane King), and they were married on October 3, 1975. His life work included teaching school, building new homes, various carpentry jobs, and farming when living in Ontario, Canada, and the states of PA, ID, and MN.

His adventures took him to Montana in 1996, fulfilling a childhood dream. Many hours were spent working with his boys in self-employed carpentry and in a few years of managing a ranch together. Enjoyable, memory-making hours were spent hunting with his sons, daughters, and grandsons. He loved the outdoors and the wonders of God’s creation. But his favorite things were spending time in God’s Word and with his family. His children and grandchildren were his absolute delight. He was a loving mentor and friend to many.

Life brought change in 2022 when he began his journey with cancer. The initial shock and grief gave way to a peaceful trust that God would reveal whatever the next step would be. God was faithful to guide in each day and each decision as Dad and Mom stepped forth in faith together. We were blessed that God allowed us to build memories and enjoy Dad for several years beyond what the doctors predicted. Often, upon receiving scan results, whether good or bad, Dad would sing the doxology, “Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow.” When the coughing would become wearisome and wear him out, he was often heard to say, “Thank you, Jesus.”

And indeed, as a family, we say, “Thank you, Jesus.” We will miss him so much, but we thank the Lord for healing him of cancer. The week of June 14, his health began a rapid decline, becoming mostly unresponsive by Tuesday. All of his children were able to arrive at some point that week and give our final love and see you laters. We feel that he heard us and hung on to life a few more days because he loved us doing life around him. Saturday, June 20, after Dora swabbed his mouth with water, his eyes suddenly opened as if looking for someone. Mom quickly came, he looked her in the eyes, smiled, and was gone. The time was 12:46 p.m. Later on, reflecting as a family, with a nod to Dad’s good sense of humor, we wondered if his time to go was really 1:00 p.m., for he always liked to be a little early.

Elvin is preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law, and several unborn children and grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Doris, 9 children, and 18 grandchildren: Jed & Vicki (Schrock) Eberly, Brent & Regan; Jane & Jon Kropf, Hudson, Riley, Liesel, Tyndale, and Katriel; Aaron & Sommer (Rominger) Eberly, Jackson & Emma; Arlan & Shelly (Mast) Eberly, Violet & Kinsley; Roy & Krystal (Yoder) Eberly, Howard, Adelie, Henry, and Alan; Rodney & Shealtiel (Hart) Eberly, Oaklee; Caleb & Katharine (Antonick) Eberly, Harper, and Lucy; Cara & Samuel Wenz, and Dora Eberly