Terry Ellis

Terry Roger (TR) Ellis, 82, died peacefully at home on August 28, 2023. He had been in home hospice care since March 16, 2023. He was born September 1, 1940 in Clermont, Indiana, the son of Carl Ellis, and Millie Lillius (Rusk) Ellis. TR graduated from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, class of 1958. Following graduation, he worked odd jobs and then six years at Allison Transmission in Indianapolis. From there he enrolled in the U.S. Army . This was between the Korean Conflict and Vietnam, and during the Bay of Pigs. He served at several bases including Korea. After his discharge he started taking university classes but didn’t know where he might major. As with many university students, he worked at several part-time jobs, including driving a cab in Indianapolis and student teaching. When he was student teaching a second grade class, he decided education was the route he was meant to take. After graduating from Purdue University with a BS, he taught 5th grade in Valparaiso Indiana. He then progressed to Assistant Principal and began taking master’s classes. After obtaining his Master’s from Purdue Calumet, he was Principal at Shoals, Indiana. From there he was Principal at Central Elementary in Lawrenceburg Indiana. He began to work on his Ed.D. at Miami University. He was then Curriculum Coordinator and, upon obtaining his Ed.D. he was Superintendent of Lawrenceburg Schools until his retirement in 1998. He moved to Arizona, but after a short time, became Superintendent of Bowie Schools In Bowie, Arizona for several years. His passion was reading. He spent most of his retirement reading and watching the birds and small animals in his desert backyard. He was married to Dee Ooley Ellis in September 1, 1977. He was predeceased by both parents, a brother, Carl Ellis, Jr., and a sister, Lorna Dee Ellis Wagner. In addition to surviving his wife, he is survived by two sons, Brook Ellis Johnson, Christopher Wayne Cowden, and a daughter, Dee Ann Hoag, and a brother, Key Lane Ellis, and Sister, Penny Ellis Pope. Per TR’s request, he is to be cremated with no formal service. Cremation took place at Avenida’s Cremation & Burial in Tucson, Arizona.