Ellis Smith, 87, of Bellevue passed away Saturday, December 30, 2023, at the Stein Hospice Care Center in Sandusky after a brief illness.
He was born on May Branch in Salyersville, KY on November 16, 1936. He was employed in the coal mines, at Fruit Growers, Whirlpool, and finally at Norfolk and Southern Railroad, retiring in 1998. Ellis was a member of Green Springs United Baptist Church.
To know our father was to know his love for the Lord. He spread the Gospel everywhere he went, never afraid to say what he meant and mean what he said. He wasn't afraid to tell us how it was and most importantly, how to make it right. He loved us all deeply, all the time, just like Jesus, his love never wavered.
Ellis married Nella Faye (Poe) Smith on June 24, 1957, in Salyersville, KY. She survives along with their three sons: Erwin (Susann) Smith of Bellevue, Gregus (Joyce) Smith of Bluffton, and Delorne (Uylonda) Smith of Berea, KY; four daughters, Tina (Darrin) Hensley of Clyde, Luona Smith of Hamilton, OH, Teresa (Jimmy) Smith of Willard, and Tonya Krupp of Bellevue; 17 grandchildren: Daniel, Molly, Jeremy, Josh, Gwendolyn, Amy, Timothy, Halley, Autumn, Jakob, Izaiah, Colin, Leah, Noah, Logan, Tammy, and Cassandra; great-grandchildren: Willow, Gunner, Grant, Nehemiah, Margot, Amos, Audra, Ella, Eliza, R.J., Jupiter, Carlisle, Temperance, Landen, Holly, Cooper, Wylie, and Ivy; brothers: Charles Smith of Hilliard, and Roy Smith of Florida; sisters, Aileene Clark of Bellevue and Shirley Kidd of Clyde; and two bonus children, Kyle Krupp and Kim Poe.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his siblings: Pearlie Minix, Goldie Mae Smith, Johnie Allen Smith, Cecil Francis Smith, Corbett Smith, Jackie Lee Smith, Christine Salyers and Freddie Smith; 3 great grandchildren: Gabriel Smith, Levi Smith, and Ezra Sprague.
Friends will be received on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 from 3-7 p.m. at Foos & Foos Funeral Service, 151 Yorkshire Place, Bellevue where a funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Burial will follow at York Chapel Cemetery.
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