Posted: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 12:00 am
July 21, 1922 - March 22, 2008
William "Bill" Scott Ellis, 85, of Lebanon, died Saturday at his home.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today at the Southside Church of Christ in Lebanon. Burial will follow at the Rock Hill Cemetery in Lebanon.
He was born July 21, 1922, in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, the son of Willard and Nancy (Scott) Ellis. He graduated from Lebanon High School in 1940 and was a member and the MVP of the 1940 LHS state championship baseball team. He then attended Linfield College on a baseball scholarship.
When World War II began he entered the Army and served with the 39th Portable Surgical Hospital. He was stationed in Guadalcanal and the Philippines. Following his discharge he returned to the Lebanon area and played semi-professional baseball for the Gustina Reds in Eugene.
He married Nelita Austin on Feb. 14, 1947, in Lebanon. He worked for Champion Plywood until his retirement in 1983.
Mr. Ellis was a member of American Legion Santiam Post 51 and a lifetime member of the Lebanon Elks Lodge.
He is survived by his wife Nelita of Lebanon; daughters Valerie Fetter of Albany and Janna Sanders of Lebanon; sons Jason and Brian, both of Lebanon; brother Donn Ellis of Lebanon; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
His grandson Jon Fetter and sister Dorothy Kenyon died before he did.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Samaritan Evergreen Hospice and sent in care of Huston-Jost Funeral Home, 86 W. Grant St., Lebanon, OR 97355.