Elna D. Drullinger

Elna Dee Drullinger, 98 of Tipton died at 3:10 a.m. on Sunday, April 2, 2023 at her residence.  She was born on November 13, 1924 in Clay County, Tennessee to Walter & Maudra (Kendall) Cherry.  On September 11, 1964 she married Arthur “Dale” Drullinger.  The couple enjoyed 39 years of marriage together before Arthur’s death on May 9, 2004.

Elna worked at Delco Remy of Anderson until her retirement on April 29, 1994.  As a teenager and young adult she loved roller skating. Elna and Dale loved listening and dancing to her oldest son, Sonny playing the drums in his band on Saturday nights. They also enjoyed family camping trips. Her family was the most important thing to her.  She always looked forward to having big Sunday dinners with all of her children and their families. Elna never forgot her birth place and loved to travel back to Celina, Tennessee to visit with family. Elna was also a Member of the American Legion Auxiliary of Tipton.

She rarely missed an opportunity to watch her grandkids playing sports or going to watch them acting in their plays. After losing her husband she loved going shopping and going to dinner with her two sisters (all three were referred to as the Golden Girls); her two nieces Willie Nell Burke and Donna Austin, and close friends Cheryl Bagley, Romelle Jones, and Ceal Stone.

Her family includes her children, Sonny Keifer and wife Patty of Tipton, Larry Keifer and wife Linda of Tipton, Rocky Keifer of Tipton, Susie Connors of Colorado Springs, Rick Keifer and wife Donna of Lafayette, Tina Parr of Tipton, Annette and husband Greg Wichmann of Fairhope, Alabama and Patricia Snyder and husband Ed of Tipton, 23 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren, 24 great-great-grandchildren, and six step-children with their extended families.

Elna was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Arthur; daughter, Annette Wichmann; granddaughter, Sherry Dick; grandson, Brady Wren; siblings, Layton Cherry, Lester Freed Chery, Mable Eads, Irene Maxey, Barbara Wood; and son-in-law, Ed Snyder.

Funeral services for Elna will be at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 6 at Young-Nichols Funeral Home with Rev. Kim Drake officiating. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery. Visitation will also be on Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service.

Memorial donations in honor of Elna may be made to the American Breast Cancer Foundation in remembrance of her daughter, Annette Wichmann, 10400 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 480, Columbia, MD, 21044.