Dr. Joe David Elder Jr.

Joe David Elder, Jr, who dedicated his life to worshipping God on earth, is now worshipping his Father in heaven face to face. His faith has become sight. David was born March 5, 1963 in Athens, Georgia. He grew up in Cocoa, Florida, and attended high school in Boca Raton. While attending the University of Florida for his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, he met his wife of 39 years, Marcia Blanton Elder, at Westside Baptist Church where they were married and volunteered in music and children’s ministry. One year after being married, they moved to Fort Worth, Texas for David to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received his Master of Music degree. Years later, he went on to earn a PhD in Music History from the University of Florida. David and Marcia served together at Granbury Baptist and Beverly Hills Baptist in Texas, and in North Florida at Middleburg Baptist, Kingsley Lake Baptist, Chets Creek Church and he finished his ministry at Anastasia Baptist in Saint Augustine from 2005 until he retired due to illness in December 2023. David had a passion for music, ministry and history. His doctoral dissertation was a “History of Florida Baptist Music.” He authored several articles on the subject. His love for music and the Word of God led him to write several songs. The one his family loves most is based on Psalm 1, which they feel he lived out daily. He loved sharing the story behind the hymns/songs we would sing in services. During the pandemic, he published a weekly article telling the story behind different songs. David was a humble man. When Marcia told him she was going to write “David was a humble man – as humble as a trumpet player can be,” in his obituary, he corrected her and said, “LEAD trumpet.” This shows his humor, which we all enjoyed greatly. He was the king of Dad jokes. David made choir and orchestra rehearsals a fun and worshipful experience. He had a passion for words. God’s word and the words of Christian songs were very important to him. As he planned worship services, he asked God to direct him to lead the congregation to change in the way He desired. That was reflected in every service he led. David was a LifeGroup / Sunday School teacher during most of his ministry. He had an amazing knowledge of God’s word and was able to communicate it well. David is survived by his father and mother, Joe and Marie Elder; his wife, Marcia Elder; sons, Jamison (Amanda) and Brandon (Amber) and six grandchildren who held his heart completely – Grayson, Jude, Henry, Ezekiel, Mabel and Shiloh; sisters, Denise Page (Danny) and Donna Brannon (Bill); and Marcia’s mother, Louise Blanton, siblings, Rhonda (LeGran), Brenda (Boomer) and Donnie (Madalyn); and multiple nieces and nephews. A celebration of David’s life will be held at 11 am on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at Anastasia Baptist Church. A visitation beginning at 10 am will precede the service. Those unable to attend can the service live streamed at: https://www.anastasiachurch.org/livestream.aspx. In lieu of flowers, donations in David’s memory can be made to: Anastasia Baptist Church Building Fund, 1650 A1A South, St. Augustine, Florida 32084 or to Community Hospice of NE FL., 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32257 St. Johns Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dr. Joe David Elder Jr.

March 5, 1963 - January 3, 2025