Roll Call Tribute

Aubrey Christian "Chris" Elkins, Jr. 

October 7, 1939 - April 29, 2025 

Aubrey Christian Elkins, Jr., beloved father, grandfather, teacher, and physician, passed away peacefully on April 29, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at age 85.

Born on October 7, 1939, in Beaumont, Texas, to Kathleen (Brock) Elkins and Aubrey Christian Elkins, Sr., the son of an oil company surveyor, the family moved around Texas and Louisiana at least 20 times before settling in Premont, Texas. A gifted student, he graduated as valedictorian from Premont High School in 1957 before attending Texas A&M University in College Station, where he studied English literature. At A&M, he played the cornet and served as leader of the White Band in the Corps of Cadets, graduating in 1961 with a degree and a commission as a U.S. Air Force lieutenant.

He married the love of his life, Bettye Sue Swales, on June 3, 1962, in San Antonio, Texas, and was (mostly) tolerant of her allegiance to Longhorn football. While she completed her senior year, Chris completed his M.A. in English at the University of Texas at Austin in 1963, before receiving his commission at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington, where he served from 1963 to 1965. They and their beagle then crossed the continent in a Triumph TR-4 so Chris could pursue doctoral studies at Cornell University. He earned his Ph.D. in English literature in 1968 with a focus on the Romantics, specifically Wordsworth.

That same year, Chris joined the English Department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as an associate professor. Though deeply passionate about literature, he was less enamored with faculty life and found his true calling in medicine. He began studying medical school prerequisites and was later accepted into the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, graduating in 1976. He returned to Ann Arbor for his residency in pediatrics at the University of Michigan, completing it in 1978.

For the next three decades, Chris served the Ann Arbor community as a compassionate and devoted pediatrician, initially working in private practice with Dr. Catherine Carroll, until he retired in 2008. He loved Ann Arbor dearly and was a familiar face at the Kerrytown Concert House, where he indulged his lifelong passion for jazz.

Chris was a voracious reader, an enthusiastic member of several book clubs, and as devoted to the literature of fly fishing as the practice. He was a loyal fan of the Detroit Tigers, Texas A&M football, cookies, and dogs of all kinds, and—above all else—his grandsons. Being Pops to Wiley and Henry brought him immeasurable joy.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Bettye. He is survived by his children, Duncan (Leigh) Elkins and Ellen (Brian Cors) Elkins, and his beloved grandchildren, Henry and Wiley.

A private memorial will be held with family at a future date. 

He will be deeply missed and forever remembered for his intellect, unending humor, gentle heart, and generous spirit.