John Drew Elliot, Jr.

CHARLOTTE - John Drew Elliot Jr. died peacefully at home on Saturday, June 3, 2023. A native Charlottean, John was born May 28, 1948 to John Drew and Caroline Ann Mauldin Elliot. In a life filled with friendships and professional and civic accomplishments, he always placed his family and his faith foremost. John met his wife, Sandra Beall, through Charlotte's Young Life program in high school. John adored Sandy from the moment they met, and they enjoyed 53 wonderful years of marriage. St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Carolina sports, extended family, history lessons, and lazy days on boats were all important points of reference in a life that supported and nurtured three children and, eventually, eight grandchildren. After graduating from Alexander Graham Junior High, John was in the class of '66 at Myers Park High School, where he lettered in football and track. A Kappa Sigma at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he majored in English and earned his bachelor's degree in June 1970, weeks before marrying Sandy. Water and its imagery flowed through John's life. He loved the beach-first Wrightsville, then Topsail-and The River, a.k.a. Lake Wylie, and passed on that love to his children and grandchildren. The cornerstone at his home, Caerlaverock, includes lines from John Newton's famous hymn "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken": "See! The streams of living waters, / Springing from eternal love…". John's life was a study in an unfeigned desire and a peerless ability to connect with other humans, whether for a few seconds at a tailgate, on the Topsail sands, or a decades-long business, church, or civic relationship. If you were family-however distant-you were born connected; thus every trip, the world over, often involved a visit to cousins. He considered genealogy a calling, once proudly helping the Smithsonian Institution disinter his Manassas ancestors for scientific research. Having exhausted the Elliot and Mauldin genealogies-tracing the lines back to William the Conqueror (1066) and Pocohantas, among others-he moved on to help his father-in-law investigate the Beall clan, discovering the Elliots and Bealls originated one short laverock's flight away from each other on the Scottish borders. While opinionated, John was loathe to spend time arguing with others about things on which they disagreed, preferring to concentrate on areas of agreement, such as discrete and unified actions against the true devils of our society-namely, the ones that inhabit a certain gothic rock pile in Durham known properly as dook. Speaking of sports, John stayed active for decades playing pick-up basketball at the Central (now Dowd) YMCA, coaching his kids' basketball and softball teams, and cheering for his daughters with such loyal fanaticism that in the early 1990s he earned a Myers Park "Honorary Cheerleader" award. He was envied for his detailed play-by-play memory of any Carolina game, once impressing All-America cornerback Dr Bly with his recall of specific plays from Bly's long-past playing days. Family and Friends While never rich the way this world counts wealth, John and Sandy provided their children a charmed childhood filled with poetry, theater and song; skiing and fishing from the Jo II, the Laverock and the Bonny Blue boats; and beautiful fall weekends spent in Chapel Hill at Carolina football games. John loved cooking and was well-known for his smoked pork shoulders and secret-recipe barbeque sauce. He and Sandy considered cooking and mealtime a total experience, engaging the family in intellectual dinner conversations involving history, religion, current events, and Carolina sports. Family trips were legendary for the obligatory visits to churches, battlefields, and graveyards…and, of-course, cousins. As other empty nesters downsized, he and Sandy built their dream house at The River, with every detail designed for hosting a crowd. Generous and welcoming to all, he loved entertaining his friends, his children's and even grandchildren's friends, many who lovingly called him Poppa John. He and Sandy continued his parents' tradition of hosting "Jesus' Birthday Party" every December, where kin and community came together to read the story of the Savior's birth (the King James version, of course) and sing "Happy Birthday" to the Lord. Known as "Jukebox Johnny," he loved shagging and beach music and doo-wop, but also symphonies and hymns. His interest in history, music, his children, and school spirit came together in 1993, when on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the opening of Alexander Graham Junior High, he wrote "Banner So High," the official alma mater of that venerable Charlotte institution that has educated four generations of Elliots. From Politics to Polyphosphates While later described as a "serial entrepreneur," John began his career in state politics, serving first as a campaign aide and then as Deputy Ombudsman to Gov. James Holshouser, North Carolina's first Republican governor in the 20th Century. From Raleigh (where daughter Dabney was born), John and Sandy moved to Hickory (where Shelley was born), thence to Charlotte and a small bungalow in Elizabeth, where Drew was born. In 1981, John teamed up (once again) with lifelong friend Fred "Butch" Gallagher to form Applied Research Group, putting their UNC English degrees to good use manufacturing polyphosphate fire retardant chemicals for cellulose housing insulation and chromated copper arsenate for treated wood. After selling Applied Research, John founded Sundance Research (later CAROSAN) in 1989 to continue his sales to the cellulose industry. A decade later, he co-invented TAP pest-control housing insulation, today sold at The Home Depot and other fine stores. John holds several patents within the industry. During a varied career, John was able to testify before Congress, ace a manliness test in a Finnish sauna, induce incredulous European clients to bite into soft-shell crab sandwiches, and crawl through innumerable attics and crawl spaces. The ups (mostly) and downs (a few) of his sometimes unpredictable income were supplemented by Sandy's steady small-business support. Councils and Committees John's accolades and accomplishments speak to his interests and experiences. He served in numerous capacities at St. Martin's, on the governing Diocesan Council of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, and on the diocesan Historic Properties Commission. He served on the board of directors of Kanuga conference center in Hendersonville and was chairman of the Bob Allen Scholarship Committee for Appalachian State University. He was listed in Who's Who in American Science and Engineering, served on numerous committees for the American Society of Testing Materials, including chairing the committee on the permanence of fire-retardants in cellulose insulation. He has served on numerous technical commissions for the chemical industry and the federal government, searching for solutions to the problems of the homeowner. He approached these tasks looking for positive innovations, rather than negative prohibitions . John received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor afforded to a North Carolina citizen, and was a longtime member of organizations as varied as the Rams Club, the North Carolina Republican Party, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Elliot Clan Society, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. A Wonderful Life & Legacy John is survived by Sandy; children, Dabney Estile and husband, Kevin; Sheldon Currier and husband, Tom; John Drew III and wife, Angela; grandchildren Landon, Andrew, and Elliot "Ellie" Estile; Bladen, Irene "Renie", and Mary Elliot Currier; and Allison and Isabel Elliot. He is also survived by his sister, JoAnn Davis, and brother and sister-in-law, Robert "Hoppy" Elliot and Suzanne Reynolds; and brother-in-law David Bailey, widower of his sister Caroline Elliot, who predeceased him. The funeral will be held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 1510 E. Seventh Street, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 11. Immediately following the service, the family will inter his ashes in the Elliot-Davis Memorial Garden on the church grounds. The family will then receive friends in the Fellowship Hall. There are many ways to honor John, including gifts in his memory to Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, to St. Martin's Episcopal Church, or to a charity of the donor's choice.