JOE ELLIS

1928 - 2015

April 16, 1928 - September 28, 2015 OKLAHOMA CITY Loving husband and proud father of three children and grandfather of six, Joe Ellis was promoted to the Church Triumphant on Monday, September 28, 2015. Born in Shawnee, OK on April 16, 1928, Joe was the second son born to Gladys and Joe Ellis. After the death of Joe's father, Gladys and her four sons moved to Oklahoma City in 1939, where Joe graduated from Classen High School. After high school, his studies took him to The University of Oklahoma, where he was initiated as a Phi Gamma Delta and earned a degree in psychology. He also earned a degree from Northwestern University in business administration. Joe was an insurance broker for over 50 years and operated his own firm, Lively & Ellis, until affiliating with Cole, Pain & Carlin before he retired in 2008. In 1958, Joe married the love of his life, Eunice Jenkins Ellis. They were married for 57 years, and together, they enjoyed raising their three children, Boone, Mary, and Joe Jr., and taught them life lessons of spiritual discipline, caring for others and giving back to the community. Joe loved the outdoors and was an avid quail hunter and enjoyed many hunts with his family, friends, and of course, his bird dogs. Joe also enjoyed trips to the family's Double E Ranch near Amber, OK, where he not only raised cattle and wheat, but where he also taught his children how to ride horses, fish, appreciate family picnics and the beauty of an Oklahoma sunset. Joe always enjoyed taking his family on summer vacations to Longville, MN, where he could share with them some of his childhood experiences of swimming and fishing for bass, walleye and northern pike on Long Lake. Joe cherished the relationships he forged with many different groups around Oklahoma -- he was an active member of the Kiwanis Club; Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club; an emcee for Casady School's athletic banquet; a coach for the Nichols Hills Rattlesnakes little league baseball; an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church; and as an OU Phi Gamma Delta alumni, he served as an advisor and helped establish and grow the Phi Gamma Delta chapter at Oklahoma State University. There are many fond memories of Joe that cannot be forgotten -- driving into the driveway at home at the end of the day in his station wagon with his houndstooth hat and hardcover briefcase; running in his grey sweat pants early in the morning before the family was awake; yelling at the TV when OU scored a touchdown; and his quick wit after playing a hot tennis match, he would often say with attribution to filmmaker and writer Billy Wilder, "I will feel better after slipping out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini." In the last few years of his life, Joe devoted his attention and care to his wife Eunice, who survives him. He is further survived by his children and their spouses, Boone and Linda Boyce Ellis, of Edmond; Mary Ellis Dahlgren and Joel Baker, of Oklahoma City; and Joe Jr. and Lina Ellis, of Atlanta, GA; and six grandchildren, Jessica, Kristin, Christina, Boone II, Matt, and Addie. He is also survived by three brothers and their spouses, Robert and Nancy Ellis, Richard and Carla Ellis, and Charles and Dorothy Ellis; and sister-in-law, Marilyn Balyeat. Joe was predeceased by his father, Joseph Ellis Sr.; stepfather, Dr. Ray M. Balyeat; his mother, Gladys Ellis Balyeat; and his brother, Dr. Hal D. Balyeat. The family wants to express their gratitude to Beverly Golden-Gates for the loving care she gave to Joe over the past few years. Memorial gifts can be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4400 N Shartel Ave, Oklahoma City, 73118. The family will receive friends at Hahn-Cook Funeral Home Wednesday, 5-7 p.m. A Memorial Service will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, October 1 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4400 N. Shartel Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK.