Dr. Robert J. Ellis, Jr., 76, of Carbondale, died Sunday afternoon, December 7, 2008 at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.
Funeral Services will be at 11AM on Saturday December 13, 2008 at the Huffman-Harker Funeral Home in Carbondale, with Rev John Annable officiating. Burial will be in the Oakland Cemetery in Carbondale. Visitation will be from 5PM to 8PM on Friday at the Huffman-Harker Funeral Home in Carbondale.
Dr. Ellis was born August 17, 1932 in Johnson City, New York, the son of Robert J. Ellis, Sr. and Florence Dorothy Gerdus Ellis. He married Dolores Whitaker in her hometown of Endicott, New York.
Robert retired from Southern Illinois University, where he was the Chairman of the Department of Economics. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class at Southern University of New York (formerly Harper College). He also served as the class president for Harper in 1959. He was the recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Scholarship. He received his doctorate from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. His teaching career was spent as a professor for Southern Illinois University both in Carbondale and abroad. He and his wife traveled throughout the world and had a great variety of international friends.
He is survived by his children, Deborah Stoneburner, her husband Blair and two children, Josey and Casey, Stoneburner, of Springfield, IL., daughter Sharon Ellis of Urbana, IL, and son Douglas Ellis, of Carbondale. He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, one son Kevin Ellis and his beloved dog Matilda.
Memorials may be directed to the SIU Foundation/ Robert Ellis Memorial Fund, 1235 Douglas Drive, Mail Code 6805, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 or the ALS Foundation of St. Louis, 5615 Pershing Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, 63112.