Joseph Elmo Gunn, 91, of Blandville, KY, died Wednesday night, August 12, 2026 at Life Care Center in La Center, KY, with his daughter and son-in-law at his side.

He was born on March 18, 1935, in Blandville, KY, to John D. and Cordie Mae Wilson Gunn and spent his early years working on his family’s 65-acre farm, raising corn and tobacco, among other things. From a young age, he was tasked with climbing high into the barn rafters to hang tobacco out to dry, a job for which he was particularly adept on account of his small size and youthful nerve.

As a boy, Elmo narrowly escaped death at least twice. The first time was at age two, when his Uncle Marvin Wilson told him he was going to take his eyeballs out and play marbles with them. Frightened, he crawled behind his mother’s Singer sewing machine, where he found and ate an entire bottle of St. Joseph Aspirin because, according to him, they “tasted real good.” The second time came when he got his legs tangled in the reins of some spooked horses while plowing the field and would have been dragged to death if not for the grace of God, who apparently wanted him to live for another eight decades.

It was during his early youth that he also discovered a love for basketball. He played guard and, by his own account, was so quick that no one could keep up with him. He scored 40 points one night and talked about that for the next 75 years.

In the 1950s, Elmo left Blandville with his brothers, Stan and Leon, to pursue a music career that would span decades and take them places far and wide, from East St. Louis to Las Vegas to Denver and beyond. They had the opportunity to play with such great names as Hank Thompson, Roy Clark, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. In the 1970s, the Gunn Brothers had a television show out of Springfield, IL, that ran in syndication all over the country. For their contributions to country music, Elmo and his brothers were inducted into the Legends of South Dakota Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in 2012.

Away from music, Elmo was a champion tennis player who amassed a formidable collection of trophies, often winning matches against players half his age.

Elmo is survived by his three children, Joe Gunn Jr. and wife Lucy of Chatham, IL; Randy Gunn of Peoria, IL; and Jamie Lee Fuller and husband Jake of Evansville, IN; one brother, Leon Gunn of Blandville, KY; six grandchildren, Joshua J. Gunn and wife Lindsay, Jordan M. Gunn, Chloe A. Gunn and husband Joseph, Israel Fuller, Yael Fuller, and Eden Fuller; three great-grandchildren, Grady Gunn, Gannon Gunn, and Gibson Gunn; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John D. and Cordie Mae Gunn; six sisters, Thelma Ford, Opal “Jenny” Murphy, Georgie Daniels, Model Munsell, Cleo Harper, and Clara Mae Munsell; five brothers, Stan Gunn, John Raymond Gunn, David Earl Gunn, and two infant brothers, John Gunn and Elmo Gunn.

Those who knew Elmo will remember him as a guitarist and storyteller, a friend, a father, a sinner saved by grace, a wellspring of wisdom, and an unabashed character. He will be bitterly missed, but we who are left behind trust that he is now with Christ, his Savior, in a place of brightness, a place of repose, where all sickness and sorrow have faded away. If you don’t die, you can’t go to heaven after all.

Visitation will be held Monday, August 17, 2026 at Morrow Funeral Chapel in LaCenter, KY beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Funeral will be held Monday, August 17, 2026 beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Morrow Funeral Chapel in LaCenter, KY.

Interment will follow at Zoar Cemetery in Cunningham, KY.