Anne Lawton Ellis Neely

Anne Lawton Ellis Neely died Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025, at River Park Senior Living in Little River, SC.

Born on August 26th, 1944, in Rock Hill, SC, Anne was the daughter of the late Leon Bell Ellis and Marguerite Coker Erwin Ellis.

Anne is survived by her loving sons, Samuel Ellis Neely and Charles Douglass (Kelly) Neely, and her two beloved grandchildren, Ellis Mazie Neely and Luke Douglass Neely.

Anne earned degrees from Coker College and Francis Marion University. Most of her working life was spent as a science teacher in Lamar and Florence, SC. She was a charter member of Cross & Crown Lutheran Church in Florence, SC, and was currently a member of St. James the Fisherman Episcopal Church in Shallotte, NC, where she devotedly served as a member of The Order of the Daughters of the King.

After her retirement from teaching, Anne volunteered with hospice, the Museum of Coastal Carolina, and served as a church vestry member, a Eucharistic Lay Visitor, and a board member for Keep Brunswick County Beautiful.

Anne also worked tirelessly with the Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization, where she spent many summer nights beneath the stars with close friends and colleagues.

She will be remembered fondly and often by so many whose lives she touched.

A funeral service will be held at St. James the Fisherman Episcopal Church in Shallotte, NC, on Saturday, August 2nd, at 1:00 PM with a reception at the church directly after the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. James the Fisherman Episcopal Church, PO Box 68, Shallotte, NC 28470, or to the Coker College Alumni Fund, Coker College, 300 E. College Ave. Hartsville, SC 29550.