Obituary of Nellie James Ellis

Nellie James Crawford Ellis was born on March 25, 1919, at the home of her parents Guy W. Crawford & Lillian Bolin Crawford. Nellie James grew up in the Polytechnic area of Fort Worth. She graduated from Polytechnic High School and then attended the University of Texas, graduating in the early 1940's with a degree in Home Economics. Nellie James worked at several locations after graduation. One of them was the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, before going to work as an Air Traffic Controller at Meacham Field during WWII. It was during this time that she met Robert L. Ellis while on a double date. Bob was working at the same tower as a meteorologist for the Army Air Corp. Nellie James and Bob dated for sometime before his deployment overseas in 1945. Bob and Nellie James were married October 12, 1946 upon his return and discharge from active service. After their wedding Bob and Nellie James left for Chicago where they lived for short time while Bob worked for TWA in their meteorology department. Wanting to be closer to home Bob got a job with Swift and Co. as a meat salesman and moved to Tulsa. At this time Nellie James started going by the name Jimmie. So all of her Tulsa friends knew her as such and her Fort Worth friends and relatives still called her Nellie James. Bob and Jimmie became parents of a daughter, Lu, in 1948. Sometime after Lu's birth, Swift and Company transferred Bob to Amarillo, TX. While in Amarillo, their son named Whit was born in 1951. Having lived in Amarillo for a couple of years Bob and Jimmie decided to move back to Tulsa where they remained for the rest of their lives. During the 1950's Jimmie was mostly a housewife, carpool driver, EMT, cook, seamstress, friend and confidant of her family. In 1956 Bob and Jimmie moved to a new house on East 60th St. Bob and Jimmie became founding and charter members of New Haven United Methodist Church and continued to worship there for the rest of their lives. Jimmie began supplementing the household budget as a substitute teacher at Carnegie Elementary School and also doing census work. In 1961 Bob and Jimmie welcomed another daughter, Sarah, into the family. Now with a family of 5, Bob and Jimmie built a new house at 58th Place and New Haven, just south of the church. Jimmie continued her duties as a housewife and mother until Sarah was old enough for school. Then she started working outside the home at Sunny Side School for emotionally and mentally handicapped children. She continued this for many years until New Haven started a mother's day out program. She became one of the teachers, a career she continued until her retirement. Bob and Jimmie's lives centered around their church and family, participating in many activities at the church. Jimmie was also active in the PTA and often said she and Bob had been members of Carnegie's PTA for over 20 years straight. Jimmie liked to cook and desserts were her favorites, especially if it had lemon in it. If someone at the church was sick or had problems Jimmie would be one of the first to volunteer a meal, or coffee cake. Many times her family would come home to the smell of something good in the oven and when asked about it she would reply that it was something for so in so who is sick. During retirement Bob and Jimmie traveled around to different parts of the US staying at elder hostels and on tours. They also visited their kids and grandkids. She would always try her best to spoil her grandkids, teaching them to play cards and board games. Jimmie was also known to fudge the rules on some of the card games with her grandkids. Bob and Jimmie continued to be active in church and especially Sunday school. During this time they developed many close friends at church. In 2002 Bob and Jimmie moved to Southern Hills retirement community where they remained until their deaths. Bob in 2009 and Jimmie's on May 22, 2011. Jimmie was preceded in death by her parents and husband of 62 years. Surviving are her three children: Lu Jones, of The Woodlands, TX; Whit Ellis, of Plano, TX and Sarah Pielsticker, of Tulsa, OK. She is also survived by seven grand children and two great grandchildren.