Charles "Rhett" Ellis, age 78, of Montgomery, Alabama, passed away on Monday, July 10, 2017. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles R. Ellis and Frances Allport Spann.
Mr. Ellis had been an optician all his life in Montgomery, Alabama, first at Ellis Optical, then Optique Boutique, later at Coates Optical, and still worked part time at Barry Optical. He was very much a "people" person and made many friends through the years. He was an avid Auburn fan, not just football but anything Auburn.
Following his love for Auburn was his love for bass fishing with his two nephews, Mike and Steve Williams, and his close friend, "H" Williams. The four of them made semi-annual trips to Florida looking for the "big" one and sadly, Rhett never caught his big one. The fish tales were usually a lot bigger than the fish. Rhett also was an excellent cook and loved to try new recipes. He loved working in his yard, planting flowers and manicuring his lawn and he even planted flower containers for several businesses around town.
When Rhett was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2010, he was ready to give up and not go on dialysis. The thing that gave him the will to live and go on dialysis was when his beloved daughter Sonya announced that she was planning to marry James Kaufman of Texas. And the event that really gave Rhett the desire to continue on was when his granddaughter, Kaitlyn Renee Kaufman, was born. Rhett loved his girls so very much just as he loved all his family with all his heart. He was a very special person and is already being missed tremendously.
Mr. Ellis is survived by his daughter, Sonya Ellis Kaufman (Trey), his sister, Elaine Ellis Rutledge and his granddaughter, Kaitlyn Renee Kaufman. Rhett attended Frazer United Methodist Church where he so enjoyed the music and the sermons.
A visitation will be held at Leak Memory Chapel on Friday, July 14, 2017, from 9:30-10:30 AM with a graveside service following immediately in Greenwood Cemetery. Additional obituary may be viewed and online condolences made at www.leak-mc.com