Nellie Kathryn Ellis
Nellie Kathryn Ellis, 80, of Pomona, died Sunday, May 2, 2021, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, surrounded by her husband and their four daughters.
She was born on March 15, 1941, in Ava township, the daughter of Luther and Mary Holiday Morris. She was the fourth of their eight children.
She had met her husband, Clifford “Gene” Ellis, on a double blind date when she was only 15 and he was 17. They married on Sept. 17, 1956, celebrating almost 65 years together.
Mrs. Ellis is survived by her husband, Gene Ellis; daughters Renie Presutti and Gina Spradling, both of Pomona, Chrisie (Shannon) Collins of Carbondale and Joanie (Dave) Lingle of Alto Pass; nine grandchildren, Amy Schmitz, Brandon Spradling, Jeff Presutti, Jake Presutti, Kayla Ellis, Cliff Collins, Cassie Newton, Gage Lingle and Sophie Lingle; 15 great-grandchildren; two amazing sisters, Cindy Murray and Della Martin, both of Murphysboro; many other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Joe and Tom; sisters Dorris, Judy and Ada; several brothers and sisters-in-law.
“Miss Nellie” was an avid lover of all flowers especially irises and day lilies. When driving through Pomona, if you see an iris it most likely came from her garden. She loved sharing all of her flowers. She loved to can vegetables and fruit and made many types of jellies. She loved to sit out and watch the hummingbirds and cardinals while reading a romance novel.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Friday, May 7, at Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Alto Pass, with Danny Miller officiating.
Friends can call from 11 a.m. until the service hour at 1 p.m. Interment will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Pomona.
Everyone attending will be required to wear a face covering and to observe social distancing guidelines. Maximum occupancy of the funeral home will be limited to 50 individuals at one time
To view the obituary and to leave online condolences for the family, visit www.rendlemanhilemanfh.com.
Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Alto Pass is in charge of arrangements.