Edgar Glen “Doodle” Gainer, age 87 years, a resident of Elkins, WV departed this life Saturday morning July 30, 2011 at Colonial Place in Elkins, WV.
He was born Saturday, September 22, 1923 at Elkins, WV a son of the late Glen and Martha Weese Gainer. On January 28, 1943 at Baltimore, MD he was married to the former Mildred “Millie” R. Maxson, who survives. They had celebrated sixty-eight years of marriage.
Also surviving are one son, Marshall “Terry” Gainer, who is the Assistant Principle at Elkins High School, one grandson, Aaron Marshall Gainer, a senior at West Virginia Wesleyan College, one niece, Betty Jean Umpenhour, Elkins, one nephew, Donald Barkley, Toledo, OH. He is preceded in death by one brother, Ellis Gainer and two sisters, Rena Blackwood, and Marie Barkley.
He was a graduate of Elkins High School, with the class of 1942. He was a Veteran of the United States Army during WWII. He was employed with the Sealtest Ice Cream and Metropolitan Life Insurance. He was appointed Director of Veteran’s Affairs, serving counties in North Central West Virginia from his office in the Randolph Co. Courthouse for several years. He was elected Justice of the Peace for Randolph Co. He completed the Magistrate Certification Program at WV College of Graduate Studies in June 1988. He served as Randolph County Magistrate until his retirement. He devoted much of his life to the Elkins Church of Christ and the Elkins Lions Club, having served as Sec./trea. for over 25 years, chairman of many committees, President in 1979-80, and he was granted lifetime membership. He had been named “Lion of the Year”, and had perfect attendance for over 25 years. In 1997, he received the Leonard Jarrett Award, the club’s highest WV state award that addresses the sight and hearing needs of the underprivileged. On the district level, he held many offices in the District Cabinet for 25 plus years, and was Deputy District Governor in 1983-84. His highest honor came in 1994, when he received the Melvin Jones’ Fellowship, the highest award confirmed by the Lions International Foundation for humanitarian needs worldwide mainly to benefit disadvantaged children. On September 15, 2005, the Elkins Church of Christ had honored him for his sixty years of service in many capacities including Sunday school teacher, church custodian, and deacon. One of his passions in life was sports. He pitched for many years for the Hilltoppers, a well-known successful team in men’s softball in WV. He later coached in the Elkins Little League, and remained a devoted lifelong fan of Elkins High, WVU, the Pirates and the Steelers. He was instrumental in bringing Nationally acclaimed Gospel Music groups to the Mountain State Forest Festival, of which he was master of ceremonies for many years.
The family will receive friends at the Lohr & Barb Funeral Home of Elkins on Friday from 5 to 8 PM. Final Rites will be conducted at the funeral home chapel, Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 10 AM. The Rev. Michael Courtwright and Evangelist Gary Kendall will officiate and interment will follow at the Maplewood Cemetery at Elkins, WV, where the H. W. Daniel’s Post # 29, American Legion and the Tygart’s Valley Post # 3647, Veterans of Foreign Wars will conduct full military honors. The family suggests that expressions of sympathy can be in the form of memorial contributions to the Lions Sight Foundation, c/o David Dicholson, Rt. 1 Box 171- D3, Lost Creek, WV 26385.
