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Missionaries killed in Iraq had local ties
By Rose Hooper
Two of the Baptist missionaries killed in a drive-by shooting in northern Iraq Monday (March 15) had close ties to Jackson County.
Larry Elliott, 60, and his wife, Jean Elliott, 58, of Cary were close friends of Raymond and Pasty Deitz and visited them at their home in Little Savannah.
"We've known the Elliotts and been friends with them for 24 years," Raymond Deitz said Wednesday morning.
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Larry Elliott
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Jean Elliott
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Photos Courtesy International Mission Board
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The two couples had worked together on missionary projects in Honduras.
The Elliotts were killed, along with two other missionaries, in the Iraqi city of Mosul when gunman fired AK-47 assault weapons on their vehicle.
Monday's attack is among a rash of attacks on civilians during the past two weeks.
The missionaries, who were working on a water-purification project, were in the area to deliver relief supplies, according to the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board.
"Jean is from Shelby and Larry is from Henderson – they were just good North Carolina people – very caring and loving," said Raymond Deitz, who is a coordinator with the N.C. Baptist Men.
"Larry pastored several churches in Honduras and was director of disaster relief in Central America before he transferred to Iraq to do similar work."
"Larry and Jean were special people – the kind who always went a step above. They were always looking towards improving people's lives," said Patsy Deitz, who also works with the state Baptist group.
"Jean taught English as a Second Language and helped children go to school. Larry started several churches and both of them worked to improve the health of families in Honduras. Their death is a real loss to the international mission work."
The last personal contact the Deitz had with the couple was this past Thanksgiving in Honduras, but they kept in touch by e-mail.
The Elliotts were in the United States around New Year's Day before their February transfer to the International Mission Board's Middle East region.
The couple is survived by three adult children, Gina Elliott Kim of Houston, Todd Elliott in Arlington, Va., and Scott Elliott of Raleigh.
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