Pastor Elmer E. Propp
Elmer E. Propp was born on May 17, 1924, in Hamburg, Iowa.
Elmer was 19 years old when World War II began. He enlisted in the Army Air Force, hoping to be a fighter pilot. He went through 21 months of training and 15 months of flying before graduating and getting his wings. He was a Second Lieutenant.
He met Hazel Thompson in 1944 in Waco, Texas. They were married on November 21, 1944, in Waco, and lived in Hondo, Texas, where Elmer was stationed. In 1944 Elmer was sent overseas where he served in China and flew many times over the “HUMP” of the Himalaya Mountains, flying a C47
carrying supplies, tanks ,and jeeps for the Chinese people who were fighting against the Japanese.
Elmer also carried men to the front lines of the war. He had to find open fields where he could land to drop his men off. He served three and a half years until the war ended in 1945.
Their first child, Janet, was born in Waco, Texas. They moved to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1946, and their three other daughters, Donna, Teri, and Bunnie, were born there. Elmer attended Omaha Baptist Bible Institute. The family relocated to California in 1960 so that Elmer could attend Los Angeles Theological Seminary. He pastored his first church, South Vermont Avenue Baptist Church, in Gardena, California. Elmer also served as pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Northridge, California and First Baptist Church in Pinole, California.
Elmer and Hazel moved to Colorado, and they continued their ministry for 25 years in their local church, Red Rocks Baptist Church, and the Set Free Prison Ministries of Colorado. He was also a member of Hump Pilots Association.
Elmer is survived by his wife, Hazel; his daughters, Janet, Donna, Teri, and Bunnie; three sons-in-law; 11 grandchildren and 30 great grand children.