Lemuel Paul Ellis

Lemuel Paul Ellis, 92, retired dairy farmer and long-time resident of the Beech Grove Community, died Saturday, July 5, 2008 at NHC Cool Springs. Funeral services will be conducted Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols with Wayne Hardison and John Hayes officiating. Burial will be in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to service time at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Columbia Academy, 1101 West 7th Street, Columbia 38401. Notes of sympathy may be sent to www.oakesandnichols.com. A native of Enterprise, Alabama, he was the son of the late Lem Ellis and Cora Martin Ellis. During World War II, he served from 1942 to 1946 in the U. S. Army - Air Corps with the rank of corporal. Mr. Ellis was a former member of Northview Church of Christ and served as a Deacon and Sunday School teacher. In recent years, his membership was at Beech Grove Church of Christ. He was married May 23, 1941 to the former Sue Dell Dodson. Their marriage spanned 64 years until Mrs. Ellis' death June 25, 2005. Survivors include three daughters, Sharon (Dean) Northcutt of Manchester, Paula (Charles) Woody of Columbia, and Brenda (Tom) Miller of Columbia; a sister, Dorothy Ellis of Enterprise, Alabama; a sister-in-law, Carolyn Biffle Dodson of Columbia; seven grandchildren, Penny Northcutt of Nashville, Ashlee (Jason) Piercey of Smyrna, Rebecca (Dustin) Welch of Nashville, Mary Beth (Jeff) Wilson of Nashville, David Miller of Spring Hill, Bethany (Jeff) Jones of Benton, Kentucky, and Laura Woody of Spring Hill; a step--grandson, Chris Woody of Mt. Pleasant; eight great-grandchildren, Johnathan Welch, Addison Welch, Morgan Wilson, Julia Wilson, Laney Beth Jones, Anderson Jones, Eli Piercey, and Jackson Piercey; four step-great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by nine sisters and brothers. Pallbearers are Randy Lochridge, Frank Curry, Mike Dodson, Jason Dodson, Russ Almand, Joe Roberson, and Lloyd Royce.