Into the sunset: Friends, family bid farewell to Kelton

The funeral for Elmer Kelton began with western tunes recorded by “The Sons of the Pioneers” and ended with the writer’s favorite hymn, “Just as I Am.” In between, the friends, family members and fans gathered at the First United Methodist Church Thursday shared laughter, tears and a lesson. Drawing on personal recollections as well as material from Elmer’s novels and autobiography, the Rev. Ricky Burk, senior pastor at the church, remembered the writer, the man, and what he gave us. “Through the characters of his writings Elmer taught us a lot about life,” the pastor said in his eulogy. “His books were about basic human nature, the struggles we all face.” Ricky said Elmer once wrote his characters are “not the traditional Western fictional heroes, standing up to a villain for one splendid moment of glory. They are quiet but determined men and women who stand their ground year after year in a fight they can never fully win, against an unforgiving enemy they know will return to challenge them again and again so long as they live. “They are the true heroes.”...AbileneReporter