Nancy J. Ellison, loving wife of late Rev. Floyd A. Ellison for 56 years, passed away on April 15, 2020. Born May 17, 1929, she is the dearest mother of R. Jeremy (Cheryl) Ellison, Deborah (Donald) Tylenda, and Jeffrey (Anastasia Cadotte) Ellison. Dear grandmother of Lara, Dana, Joshua, Joel, Samuel, and Abraham; dear step-grandmother of Kathryn, Brian (Anna), and late Andrew Holzapfel. Adoring great-grandmother of Ella Rose; adoring step-great-grandmother of Lily, Madelyn and Blake.
Nancy and her younger sister Joan lost their Dad in 1933 when they were preschoolers. They were raised by four strong women, Mom Nellie, Aunt Vera, Great Aunt Elizabeth (their “Auntie”), and Grandma Emma Mae, and became strong women themselves. Nancy graduated from Dearborn High, obtained her RN from Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, and worked several years as a nurse. She married Floyd in December 1951 at Dearborn First Methodist, the church where both grew up. Floyd completed his Master of Divinity at Drew Theological Seminary in New Jersey. Together, Floyd and Nancy headed off to serve 11 Methodist churches across Michigan over Floyd’s 30+ year career, ranging from the Thumb to the UP to Blissfield to Detroit. Together they grew their family – three kids in five years – raised them well and as doting grandparents watched them raise families of their own. Floyd’s appointments to churches in the Detroit area in the 1970s and 80s allowed Nancy to join the staff of Dearborn First as financial secretary, a position she held for most of a decade and which her mother had held before her. The proximity also allowed her to care for her mother in her final years. Nancy continued her commitment to Methodism following Floyd’s retirement, joining Detroit’s Metropolitan United Methodist and progressing in leadership there that culminated as Administrative Council chair; she later become a member of Birmingham UMC. In their retirement, Nancy and Floyd lived together 20 years in the Dearborn house Nancy grew up in, traveling widely in Europe and the US on elder hostels and other educational trips. Nancy continued to live in her childhood home for 10 years after Floyd’s passing in 2008, before moving to senior living in Dearborn’s Henry Ford Village. She died the committed Methodist she was raised, supporting the church both locally and globally.
What a fellowship! What a joy divine! Leaning on the everlasting arms.
A memorial celebration will be held at a later date and announced on www.howepeterson.com. Memorial contributions may be made to the World Methodist Council and the Henry Ford Village Scholarship Fund.
Condolences may be sent to:
Jeffrey Ellison
50044 Grant St.
Canton, MI 48188
Last Updated on October 31, 2023