I would say that these kind of elders are extremely rare... he infact made what the others didn't do stand out!
I used to try to keep the bastards honest when I was an elder and won no browney points. The only elder to call in and try to find out why we stopped going was my father-in-law and he lived in another cong 70 miles away. No one else on the "body" could have given a continental!
We had an elder who used to be like yours. He was gutted and drawn and quartered over a non issue.... typical.
My advice would be to tell the guy that you "appreciate" [present tense] all he has done for you and yours.