Elsa Mae (Tyner) Townsend

Elsa Mae Tyner Townsend, 89, of Kannapolis went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at her residence following a period of declining health.

Elsa was born May 5, 1933 in Robeson County, NC a daughter of the late John Russell Tyner and Ressie Stone Tyner. She was also preceded in death by a sister, Betty Tyner Mack, a brother Rev. John Ellis Tyner and her husband, Rev. Jerry W. Townsend, Sr. who died June 12, 2000.

Elsa followed her husband, the late Reverend Jerry W. Townsend, Sr. in his ministry in Southern Baptist Churches within North Carolina and Tennessee. Upon his death in 2000, she became a member of First Baptist Church in Concord where she served as church librarian.

Funeral Services to celebrate her life will be held at 12:00 Noon, Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at First Baptist Church of Concord conducted by Dr. Jim Collier and Rev. Aaron Edwards. The family will receive friends at the church 11:00-12:00 Tuesday, January 17, 2023. Entombment will follow in Carolina Memorial Park Plaza Mausoleum.

Family members left to cherish her memory include a daughter, Benita Long and husband Barry of Concord, a son, Jerry W. Townsend, Jr. of Irvington, Alabama, a daughter, Rosalyn Williams and husband Nathan of S.C.   a sister Frances Viano of Raleigh, NC along with five grandchildren; Kennedy Long, Nathan Williams, Jr., Townsend Williams and wife Rachael, Andrea Love and husband Chance, and Andrew Townsend. She is also survived by two great grandchildren; Eleanor and Walter Williams.

The family requests that memorials be made to First Baptist Church of Concord, 200 Branchview Drive, SE. Concord, NC 28025.

Whitley’s Funeral Home is serving the family of Mrs. Townsend. Online condolences may be made to www.whitleysfuneralhome.com