Jern Wayne Ellis' Obituary
Jern Wayne Ellis passed away peacefully at his home in Dallas, Texas on April 19, 2020. A memorial service is pending and will be determined at a later date. Interment will be at Restland Cemetery, Dallas, TX. Jern Wayne Ellis was born on March 30, 1934, the second son of John Harvey Ellis (1901-1975) and Prudie Beatrice Raper Ellis (1907-1962) born in Milburn, Oklahoma. Wayne graduated from Milburn High School as valedictorian in 1952. He received an Associate's degree from Murray State Junior College in 1954. Afterwards, he attended the University of Oklahoma graduating in 1957 with a Bachelor's of Science in Electrical Engineering. He then received his Masters of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University in 1965. Wayne worked as an electrical engineer for Sandia Corporation in Albuquerque, New Mexico and followed by LTV in Greenville, TX. Upon moving to Dallas, he began a 22 year career with Texas Instruments, became employed by Halliburton through a sale of Geophysical Services Inc. and retired in 1994 from Western Geophysical Services Inc. Wayne was a resident of Dallas for 55 years. He was a church member, youth choir sponsor, Sunday School teacher, deacon, and Goldenaires choir member of First Baptist Church of Richardson, TX. He was an avid sports fan having played basketball and baseball in high school and loved watching sports on TV. His favorite sports teams were the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, and the OU Sooners. Wayne enjoyed camping and fishing with his family in Colorado in their pop-up camper and watching his grandsons play soccer. Wayne appreciated a good book, and his favorite authors were John Grisham and Tony Hillerman. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Charles Austin Ellis (1935-1939) and James Morris Ellis (1929-1998), and two sisters, Delma Gayle Ellis (1938) and Betty Lou Ellis Wilson (1931-2004) along with his first wife Arlene Clayton Ellis (1936-1960) and his youngest daughter, Maribeth Lyn Ellis Olberding (1969-2014). Wayne is survived by his wife of 58 years, Virginia Foster Ellis, and their children, Paula Lea Ellis Taylor, Jennifer Elaine Ellis Byrd, Stephanie Denise Ellis, and Neil Scott Ellis. He is also survived by his eleven grandchildren, Benjamin Taylor, Nicholas Taylor (Jessica Wilson), Forrest Taylor, Andrew Byrd (JolieAnn McCleskey), Nathan Byrd, Peter Byrd, Luke Byrd, Foster Ellis, Cooper Ellis, Della Olberding, and Lila Olberding. Also survived by sons-in-law David Byrd and Bruce Olberding, daughter-in-law Caroline Fogel Ellis, and his great grandchildren, Benjamin Taylor, Jr., Thatcher Taylor, and Dorothy Taylor.
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