October 22, 1929 - March 18, 2019 George Ellis, age 89, died peacefully March 18, at his home in Granada Hills with his wife, two sons, and Hospice nurses by his side. His passing was attributed to complications from Alzheimer's disease. Born in Lead, South Dakota, Oct. 22, 1929, George was the seventh child of Joseph Everett Ellis and Berta Hurd Ellis. When he was six years old, his family moved from South Dakota to the Yakima Valley in the state of Washington. The Ellis family later relocated in Spokane, Washington, where George attended both Whitworth and Gonzaga Universities. While he was a student at Whitworth University, he joined a flying club and obtained his private pilot's license. He enjoyed giving free flying lessons. One of his flying students was Inga Hendrickson, who was soon to become his wife. After graduating from Whitworth University, he and Inga moved to Los Angeles where he obtained an MS degree from UCLA. He served two years in the U.S. Army assigned to the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC). Upon completing his assignment in the military, he spent 37 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, beginning his educational career as a Chemistry teacher at North Hollywood High School. Eager to learn new skills and improve the quality of teaching chemistry, he participated in several summer seminars sponsored by the National Science Foundation. During his teaching career he had the rare opportunity to meet with two Nobel Prize Laureates in the field of science. He was soon assigned to District headquarters where he developed a Course of Study for chemistry teachers in LAUSD. This effort led to the publication of a chemistry textbook, Foundations of Chemistry, which he co-authored. The publication, followed by a second edition, was enormously successful. It was adopted in many school districts throughout the United States as well as in 20 foreign countries where some editions were translated. In the latter part of his career in education, he was an Advisor in the Department of Career and Continuing Education and a Coordinator of Granada Hills Adult School for 20 years. Upon retiring from education, he became active in real estate investing wisely in apartment buildings throughout the San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita. Nothing pleased him more than upgrading vacant apartments and providing clean, attractive and desirable units. His generosity and kindness earned him the respect and admiration of many of his tenants, apartment managers and employees. In 1984, Inga Ellis, the mother of his three sons, passed away. Ten years later, he married Karen Whicker. During the past two decades, he and his wife Karen traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia. An avid reader, George acquired an eclectic knowledge about numerous and varied topics which contributed to his being an engaging conversationalist. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and three sons, John (Vicki-Lynn), Raymond (Rocio), Joseph, and five grandchildren Truman Ellis, Kendrick Ellis, Austin Ellis, Amber Ellis, and Annette Ellis. In honor of his request, there will be no funeral service but his family members plan a celebration of his life.
About 6 years ago my then-young family went to California for Spring Break. We stopped by and visited and stayed the night with Karen and George at their lovely home and had a wonderful time.
Spring, 2013.
Per George's request, there was no funeral but instead a Celebration of Life. My parents, brother, sister, and I all came to California for that special event. It was really a nice time being with Karen and staying at her home. The Celebration of Life was excellent and a lot of people came. I was glad I could be a part of it all!
All in all, it was a lovely time and I really enjoyed being with my family that I don't get to see too often!
1 comment:
It really was a lovely time!
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