April 14, 1922 – November 25, 2007
Ellis, fondly known to many as Chief was proudly named after the man that taught him many of life’s lessons. He was a true outdoors man; an avid Sailor sailing both in the Bay and out of the Golden Gate enjoying the freedom and skills it took to successfully handle a sailing vessel. When given a choice between the sea and the mountains it was the love of the back-country that came first. Beginning as a child, Ellis spent time hiking out of Kennedy Meadows in the Emigrant Wilderness of California. He continued this tradition through his life spending time each year in the back-country with friends, neighbors, children and later grandchildren sharing experiences, life-lessons and entrenching a lifelong love of the wilderness that have changed the lives of so many. To Chief, this was “God's Country”. He spent his later years with his large family enjoying the stories of others and telling stories of his own. You could expect to find him in his yard from early in the morning after his large breakfast to the afternoon. The simple enjoyments in life were truly embraced by this amazing man.
