Rodger Ellis

EWELL COMMUNITY… Mr. Rodger Dale Ellis, a resident of the Ewell Community, died early Sunday morning, June 30, 2024, at Dale Medical Center. He was 64.

 Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in the Fuqua Bankston Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Dr. Tim Bates officiating. Burial followed in Woodlawn Memory Gardens. Fuqua Bankston Funeral Home of Ozark was in charge of arrangements. 

 Rodger was born February 15, 1960, in Columbus, Georgia. He called Ozark, Alabama, home since 1975. He was a 1978 Graduate of Dale County Christian School. He met the love of his life, Joan Payton, on a blind date. They married on July 3, 1981, with their “pride, joy, and occasional headaches” entering the world in 1984 and 1988.

 His life centered on God and family. He loved deeply, encouraged often, and treated each person he met with a level of respect and dignity that emphasized their importance and value.

He was most known for his quirky, but enduring, sense of humor, his work ethic, perfectionism, creativity in art and music and overall good-natured personality.

 While the later part of his life was shadowed by illness, he expressed his love for God by encouraging others despite his personal trials. Hopefully persevering, his trust was firmly planted in God’s gift of salvation through the saving work of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He will be dearly missed by his family.

 Surviving relatives include his wife of forty-two years, Joan Payton Ellis of the Ewell Community; two sons, Matthew (Lydia) Ellis of Troy, Alabama, and Kyle (Bailey) Ellis of Muscle Shoals, Alabama; his parents, Malgum and Katherine Gilley Ellis of Ariton, Alabama; a brother, Reverend Dr. Danny (Rita) Ellis of Ariton, Alabama; grandchildren, CeCe, Gracie, Bennett, Jack Riley, and Sawyer Ellis; sisters-in-law, Judy (Jerry) Sanders, Diane (Edward, Jr.) Hulvey, Donna (John) Kilpatrick, and Tammy (Mike) Moyd; nieces and nephews, Daniel Ellis, Charles (Angel) Ellis, Maria (Mark) Frase, and Lydia (Doug) Wilcox, Chris (Nancy) Brown, Andrea Givens, Justin (Kelli) Hulvey, Jenna (Kyle) Barron, Joshua Hulvey, Jacob Hulvey, Brad (Samone) Kilpatrick, Ashley (Ryan) Cary, David (Bonnie) Rosser, and Tyler and Evan Moyd.