Lee Jay Elder

Funeral services for Lee Jay Elder, 66, Sharon-Mutual, OK will be held at 2:00 pm, Friday, May 15, 2026 at the First Christian Church of Clinton, officiated by Dean Brookshire. Burial will follow at the Arapaho Cemetery under the direction of Lee Hometown Funeral Home.

Lee Jay passed away on May 9th, at his home near Mutual, OK, following an accident. He was born to John Lee and Roberta (Schimmels) Elder of Arapaho on July 15, 1959 and graduated High School there in 1977.

He was an avid cowboy/farmer/rancher from a young age, working on the farm with his grandparents, Claude and Ina Schimmels,Uncle Vernon Schimmels, and brother, Doyle. He also worked for other Custer County families during his school years and on school time off as a teacher. He helped numerous neighbors/friends with their farms and animals. He trained many horses, some becoming national winning calf roping horses. His yearly family Christmas pictures always included horses and dogs. Recently, his dogs, Meatloaf and Granger had been close companions.

He attended OSU and SWOSU, becoming an Oklahoma secondary high school Math teacher after teaching Math at Northern Arizona University for a few years.

In 2025, he retired from Seiling Schools where they honored his passion for “shaping the minds and hearts” of Western Oklahoma young people for over 35 years. He had taught math to students in Custer City, Sharon-Mutual, Taloga and Woodward. He was also known for his tutoring of high school and college math students.

Family and friends will remember his humorous comments. Relatives will remember his delicious efforts to make the perfect pecan pie.

Lee is survived by his dad, John Elder; his siblings, Peggy Alexander and husband Geoffrey, Kathy Laurents and husband Fred, and Doyle Elder and wife Jo Lynn; as well as aunts, Sandy (Ron) Schimmels Johnson and Lois Schimmels. Also five nieces and their families: Gina Landrum, Kylie Parrish, Kelsey Grounds, Halli Elder, and Hanna Elder; numerous cousins and dear friends, particularly rodeo/trail riding/horse enthusiasts, like Penny Collins and Kari Nixon; as well as his past students and coworkers.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Roberta Elder, and ex-wife, Dawn, to whom he was married for over twenty years.

Anyone who would like to give a memorial, may do so to the Arapaho/Butler Alumni Scholarship Fund at P.O. Box 160  Arapaho, OK 73620