David Ellison

David Gaillard Ellison COLUMBIA - David Gaillard Ellison, 79, died at his home on Sunday, June 10, 2018, following a lengthy illness. Born in Columbia, SC on August 6, 1938, David was the elder son of David Gaillard Ellison, Jr. and Cornelia Jackson Ellison. A memorial service will be held in his honor on Monday, June 18, 2018, at 3:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. The family will receive friends following the service at the church in Satterlee Hall. There will be a private interment at Elmwood Cemetery. David was the president of Ellison Insurance, following in the footsteps of his grandfather (D.G. Ellison, Sr.), father (D.G. Ellison, Jr.), and uncles (Robert Emmett Ellison and James Hagood Ellison). He was a member of the Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters (CPCU) and former instructor of Insurance at the University of SC. He was educated in the public schools of Columbia, graduating from Dreher High School in the Class of 1956. He graduated from The University of the South (Sewanee) in 1960 with honors in Political Science. He attended the University of Virginia Graduate School of Business 1961/62. David served 8 years in the SC Army National Guard, initially as an enlisted soldier in the Judge Advocate General Corps and later as a 2LT in Ordnance Corps. He held many leadership positions in the community, as he was known for his ability to bring people together for the common good. He had a deep sensitivity towards social injustice. He was not afraid to confront thorny issues and stand up for what was right. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Columbia Area Mental Health Center, Chairman of the Board of the Columbia Housing Authority, and member of the Columbia Relations Council. He helped pioneer a new concept in mental health care with the development of a Comprehensive Mental Health Center that was the first of its kind in the Southeast. This contributed to his being selected by the Jaycees as "Outstanding Young Man of the Year" in SC (1971). He was a lifelong member of Trinity Cathedral and a member of Trinity's Boy Scout Troop 14. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He was a mentor to numbers of young people and trusted confidant to his friends. He was a conservationist and a tree farmer. David was a student of history and enjoyed membership in the Society of the Cincinnati. He is survived by his wife, Susan Goldberg Ellison; sons, David G. Ellison IV (Stefanie) of Georgetown, Benedict Mayer Ellison and Henry Phillips Ellison of Columbia; stepdaughter, Jane Cobb Henderson; grandchildren, Jackson, Suzanna, John, and Joseph Ellison of Georgetown; step-granddaughter, Virginia Cronin; brother, Robert Jackson Ellison (Katherine) of Salt Lake City, Utah; and faithful dachshund, Stella May Wilson. In addition to his mother and father, David was predeceased by his first wife and mother of his children, Cornelia Mayer Stewart. David said that everything he ever needed to know he learned from the Boy Scouts. The family would be honored by contributions given in memory of David Ellison to the Boy Scouts of America, Indian Waters Council, 715 Betsy Drive, Columbia, SC 29210 Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.