Elmer Thill – April 19, 1914 – November 17, 2020
Lifetime Anaheim resident Elmer Thill passed away of natural causes on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at age 106. He was at home surrounded by family. Thill was Anaheim’s oldest resident and the oldest known living graduate of Anaheim Union High School (AUHS).
Elmer was born to August and Anna Thill on August 19, 1914, at 219 S. Olive Street in Anaheim. He was baptized at St. Boniface Catholic Church, attended elementary school at St. Joseph’s Academy, junior high school at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fullerton, and graduated from Anaheim High School in 1932.
Elmer’s parents were proprietors of the Central Hotel at 102 W. Center St., where Elmer lived with his family from 1919 until 1938. He married the love of his life, Genevieve “Jean” Dirking, on August 29, 1938 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the same church where a few years earlier they met at a youth dance.
Genevieve passed away Dec. 12, 2016, at age 101. During their 78 years of marriage, she and Elmer were active in the Catholic Church, loved to travel and dance to big band music at Disneyland.
They had five children: Richard, Janet, John, James and Robert. Elmer supported his family as a realtor and insurance salesman, owning his own brokerage business, later taken over by his son Robert. He was still in possession of his real estate license.
Raised by a family that was musically talented, Elmer played the clarinet since age 13 and was a member of the Anaheim High orchestra and band. He also played in several community bands, including the famous Forever Young Band – “America’s Oldest Act of Entertainers.” In 2018, he was honored for being “America’s Oldest Performing Musician.”
Elmer passed his love of music to his family. His son, Richard, a Class of ’57 Anaheim High graduate, plays the trumpet and several other wind instruments. Many of Elmer’s nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren play instruments and sing as part of church and community choral groups.
A City of Anaheim Housing Commissioner for two terms in 1986 and 1989, Elmer was an active member of the Anaheim Historical Society and Anaheim Rotary Club. He visited Anaheim’s sister city Mito, Japan, on a trip with Rotary Club members in 1982.
Elmer was a regular fixture at city events and celebrations, including the monthly Anaheim alumni breakfast and the annual Halloween Parade. Elmer hadn’t missed a Halloween Parade since its debut in 1924. He marched in the parade playing the clarinet with the AUHS Band and rode in the AHS Alumni Association (AHSAA) parade contingency several times over the past 10 years. He was the parade’s grand marshal in 2018.
On the occasion of Elmer’s 106th birthday, the AHSAA spearheaded a surprise birthday parade that passed in front of the home he built in the 1950s. The parade was an alternative to a party cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The AHSAA also celebrated Elmer’s 100th birthday with a surprise performance on his front lawn by the Anaheim High School Marching Band.
Elmer was a people person and could fix anything, said his son Richard, adding that his father was spontaneous, energetic, and would often surprise his family with impromptu car rides. Elmer’s most recent travel adventure was a train trip from Fullerton to Montana.
In Elmer’s honor, the AHSAA is accepting donations in on behalf of the AHS Band. Please mail donations to P.O. Box 389, Anaheim, 92815. Questions may be addressed to anaheimalumni@yahoo.com or by calling AHSAA President Janet Brown at 714-726-4372.
