Obituary for Barbara Ellis

Ponca City Now - January 8, 2018 3:18 pm

Barbara A. Ellis

January 24, 1935 – January 6, 2018

Barbara Ann Willms Ellis passed into the arms of her loving Heavenly Father on January 6, 2018. She was born on January 24, 1935, in Kingfisher, Oklahoma to Gerd and Anna Willms. She attended Big Four rural school, graduating in 1953. She then attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) and graduated in 1957 with a B.A.

She came to Ponca City in 1957 and taught seventh- and eighth-grade math for five years.
She married Paul Ellis on June 21, 1959. They had two children, Tim and Lori.

She was a longtime member of First Lutheran Church. She was baptized as an infant at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and was confirmed in 1949. Her confirmation memory verses were John 10:27-28.

She taught Sunday School, was on the school board for First Lutheran School, belonged to the Guild, served as a Pink Lady at the hospital, helped deliver Meals on Wheels, and attended Bible classes. She enjoyed planting flowers, doing needlework and ceramics, and making quilts for Lutheran World Relief. Not only did she personally make many quilts for World Relief, she oversaw the making of hundreds more through the quilting group at First Lutheran.

She was preceded in death by her parents and one sister, Evelyn Willms Smith. She is survived by husband Paul Ellis, son Tim Ellis (wife Michele) of Frisco, Texas, daughter Lori Mason (husband John) of Austin, Texas, and five grandchildren, Luke and Anna Ellis, Benjamin and Elizabeth Ploeger, and Andrew Mason.

A funeral ceremony for Barbara will be held on Friday, January 12, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Ponca City. She will be laid to rest following the ceremony at Resthaven Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to Hospice of North Central Oklahoma 445 Fairview Ave., Ponca City, OK 74601 or the First Lutheran School 1104 N. 4th St., Ponca City, OK 74601.

Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory in Ponca City.

Source: Trout Funeral Home