Estelle Hyde Ellis

Estelle Hyde Ellis received her final healing from the Lord on Saturday the 31st of May 2014, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s, and now she is with Jesus and the Church Triumphant. She was born in Delano, Tennessee, on the 6th of October 1924, the daughter of Vernie and Bertha Hyde, one of seven children. Estelle was the middle child and all her brothers and sisters, Ed, Edna, Talma, R.L., Geneva  and Ruby, as well as her parents, predeceased her.

Estelle was a woman of great faith and love for the Lord. At the age of 10 Estelle had a dramatic and life changing encounter with the Lord, and as a consequence all her life was characterized by worship and prayer. She was a prayer warrior for her church and community, taught Sunday School for many years, raised money and worked in the church’s annual Youth Camp, played piano and guitar when requested. She went to many nursing homes through the years, playing the guitar and piano and encouraging everyone in the Lord. She was loved and admired by her church family and she loved them very much. The memory of her joy in worship and her faithful devotion to Jesus are an enduring comfort to her son Larry Hoyt Ellis and her daughter Cheryal Ellis Korfmann. Estelle’s highest goal was to insure that her children knew and loved the Lord.

She taught and impressed her faith, and was gratified that her children followed in her spiritual footsteps.

Estelle married her husband Hoyt Thomas Ellis at the tender age of 16 and they shared a great love for 54 years until his death in 1994. While both of them were unable to even finish grammar school, due to the Depression, they were honest hard-working and very successful business people. Estelle was a super saleswoman, with a bright personality and love of people, the kind of person people enjoyed being around. They founded their own company, United Portrait Album Plan, Inc. and were able to amass the resources for a comfortable and secure life.

Estelle regretted not having a proper education and after the death of Hoyt she began studying for her GED unforunately, her dementia precluded that accomplishment, although she came very close. She was nominated and selected as student representative of the OAR Board of Directors in 1999.

Estelle is survived by her son Larry and his wife Jan and their four children, Neale, Matthew, Mandy and Charity and by her daughter Cheryal and her husband Vincent and their sons Daniel and Scott. In addition to her children and grandchildren, Estelle was blessed to have 18 great grandchildren, Matthew, Joshua, Sarah, Alexandra, Abigail, Amanda, Hadassah, Magdalena, Alaia, Xavier, Caleb, Justice, Phoebe, Nathanael, Ella, Joy, Beatrice, Georgia Mae and Analuisa.

 The family will receive friends at the Ralph Buckner Funeral Home, on Wednesday evening June 4, 2014 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

 A funeral service will be held at the funeral home chapel at 10:00 a.m. Thursday June 5, 2014 with burial to follow in Fort Hill Cemetery. The family is being served by the Reverend Ronnie Hyde, Estelle’s nephew, pastor of the Landmark Church of Jesus Christ where she worshipped for many years and her son the Reverend Larry Ellis who will participate. 

Ralph Buckner Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of the arrangements.

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