Dorothy Ellis

Dorothy "Dottie" J. Ellis, 88, of Jackson, died Nov. 19, 2024, at Saint Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

She was born Sept. 22, 1936, in Cape Girardeau to Dorothy C. Illers and Robert W. Illers.

On Sept. 26, 1954, she married John Edward Ellis in Jackson. For many years, she did the bookkeeping at the family business, Jackson Auto Parts. They enjoyed entertaining, dancing and bridge club, in their early years, and being with their pets, grandchild and later great grandchildren.

Dottie loved her family and showed this love strongly when she prepared meals, particularly at the holidays. She was a den mother, worked elections, was a member of John Guild Chapter of National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and delved in and discovered connections through her interest in genealogy. She was a human resource manager at Venture Stores and enjoyed the challenges it brought as well as the friends she made. She cherished her times with friends over the years, whether that be with a meal, a glass of wine, a conversation over a manicure or just a simple smile and a bit of encouragement.

In addition to her husband, John, she is survived by her son, John E. Ellis, II (Diane); grandson, Robert John Ellis; beloved great-granddaughters, Tanner Ellis and Nora Allen; sister-in-law, Nancy Ellis; and niece, Sue Underwood.

She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Robert B. Ellis; sister, Adele Bayless; nephews, Mark Bayless and Mike Bayless; and special cousin, Shirley Cooper.

A celebration of life will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Family will be there at 1 p.m. to receive visitors with a service to follow at 1:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the John Guild DAR Chapter (https://www.dar.org/giving), a local Humane Society, the National Cancer Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (https://nationalcoalitionforcancersurvivorship-bloom.kindful.com/ or a charity of choice.

Arrangements are by Ford and Sons Funeral Homes of Jackson.