Joyce Ann (Hood) Ellis of Tuscola, passed away at Brookstone Estates on Monday, December 12, 2022.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 8, 2023 at the Hilligoss Shrader Funeral Home, 705 South Main Street, Tuscola, IL. Online condolences may be shared via hilligossshraderfh.com

Joyce was born in Peoria, IL on July 3, 1936 to William Luke Hood and Anna Rosalind (Stotler) Hood.  She spent her elementary and middle school years in Peoria, her junior and high school years living in Cooks Mills, IL and graduated from Mattoon High School.  She married Thomas Edward Ellis in Champaign, IL on December 26, 1953. He preceded her in death on May 24, 1998. They lived in Mattoon, Robinson, Charleston and, since 1964, in Tuscola following promotions with his life-long employer, Central Illinois Public Service Company (CIPS).

A member of the Tuscola United Methodist Church, she was a familiar face in the choir, taught Sunday school classes and served on various church boards and committees over the years.  She worked for the Douglas County Extension Service, First Federal Savings and Loan, and J. B. Helmuth Trucking in Arcola.  She was involved with a number of volunteer organizations, including University of Illinois Home Extension and 4-H.  She also enjoyed bowling and playing bridge with her friends, and relished the competition of playing croquet, corn hole, Rummikub, and assembling jigsaw puzzles with her friends and family.  She was an avid knitter, an accomplished seamstress, tailor and talented quilter.

Surviving are her daughter, Nancy (Ellis) Starwalt of Springfield, IL and son, Thomas (Tom) E. Ellis, Jr. (wife, Jean) of Westford, MA and five grandchildren: Sara Hare (husband, Eric), Spencer Shipley (wife, Carolyn), Thomas E. Ellis III, Elizabeth Ellis and David Ellis; seven great-grandchildren, and two great, great grandchildren.  Also, surviving is her sister, Judy Landes (husband, Bert) of Charleston, IL, three nieces, four nephews, and a larger number of cousins, extended family members and dear friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, her mother-in-law and father-in-law (Frances and W.E. "Doc" Ellis) of Mattoon, her sister-in-law Nancy (Ellis) Janes and brother-in-law, E.L. Janes and niece, Julie (Janes) Ivers of St. Francisville, IL.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Joyce's memory to the missionary ministry of family friends Bill and Ann Clemmer through International Ministries or to Carle Hospice:

International Ministries

Donate online at https://portal.internationalministries.org/global-servant-support and select Bill and Ann Clemmer from the pull-down menu and note it is in memory of Joyce Ellis.

or mail your donation to:

International Ministries

Attn:  Dr. and Mrs. William Clemmer Ministry / Joyce Ellis Memorial

1003 West 9 ^th Avenue, Suite A

King of Prussia, PA  19406

Carle Hospice

Hospice Memorial Funds

4116 Fieldstone Road

Champaign, IL  61822