William Gary Ellis, 55, was born May 25th, 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida, to William and Carolyn Ellis. Gary suffered heart failure in Cary, North Carolina, and he went home to be with his Lord on November 3rd, 2008. Gary is survived by his wife of 30 years, Deetsy; his son, Aaron; his daughter, Callie; his mother, Carolyn of Montgomery, Alabama; his brothers, Charles (Julie) of Auburn, Alabama and Michael of Montgomery, Alabama; and several nieces and nephews.
Gary was raised and educated in Alabama. He graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama, with the Class of 1971. Gary then attended Auburn University, graduating in 1976, and received a Bachelors degree in Mathematics with a Masters in Industrial Engineering.
Gary started his career with IBM in Rochester, Minnesota and for the past 30 years has worked in several locations for IBM. He attended Colonial Baptist Church and was active in various ministries including a men's Bible study, the children's ministry, and the Shepherds Seminary. Gary's passion was the game of golf. He was a member of the Carolina Golf Association and enjoyed playing in many amateur events throughout North Carolina.
The family held visitation from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at the Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary, North Carolina. A service commemorating Gary's life was held on Saturday, November 8th, 2008, at 11:00am at the Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina. The family held a private graveside service on a later date.
The family requests memorial contributions be made to Wisdom for the Heart. Gary will always be remembered for his kindness.
Ken Seamon (1971)
Gary was a good friend of mine at Lanier. We had 3 classes together, and he got me into a Judo and Karate club that I will always remember - Gary was much better at it than me. We had lunch together during our senior year where everyone at the table enjoyed his great sense of humor. I've just read again his comments (a full page) in my yearbook. I've thought of him over the years, and I'm not surprised to hear that he lived life so well.