‘He’ll be truly missed:’ remembering Biloxi legend Peter Roy Elder

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV) — South Mississippi is mourning the loss of Biloxi icon Peter Roy Elder, who passed away unexpectedly on Monday night.

“He was just the life of the party; wherever he went, he was the center stage,” Bobby Mahoney, owner of Mary Mahoney’s Old French House and a friend of Elder, said.

Known across Major League Baseball as a former prominent scout, Elder won six total World Series: three apiece with the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants.

“He was what you might want to call a Super Scout,” Mahoney explained. “Brian Sabean, who was the General Manager of the Giants at the time, credited him for winning them the World Series.”

Elder was much more than just a man with an eye for talent on the field. He was heavily involved in the City of Biloxi throughout his life, being celebrated for all of his accomplishments along the way.

“He was a true Biloxi legend,” Mahoney said. “He was born in Biloxi, his daddy was the commissioner — Pete Elder — and he went to Biloxi High School, played on the baseball team. He went to Southern Mississippi, went off to Vietnam, came back. He worked with my little bar, the Cabaret Lounge, for a couple years, and then he went on to be the sales ticket manager at the Coast Coliseum.”

Friends describe him as a kind and bubbly man who always had plenty of stories to tell. Elder’s legacy and those stories will continue to live on through all those who knew him.

“Everybody loved him and he was just one of the finest fellas you’d ever want to meet, and he’ll be truly missed.”