ELLIS, Annretta

The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona Sunday, January 19, 2003 Annretta Ellis, 80 years old, passed peacefully from this world. Her family was at her side. Born in Chesapeake City, Maryland, January 22, 1922. She left us Monday, January 13, 2003. A woman of strong moral character and a guiding light to those who knew her, Annretta put herself through nursing school in Wilmington, Del. Graduating in 1944, she was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Army Nursing Corp. She served as a nurse on Hospital Ship Republic in the South Pacific Theater. After the war, she married Roger Wayne Ellis and continued her career in Los Angeles, Ca., assisting doctors as surgical scrub nurse in major cases including cardiovascular, neural, and optical surgeries (some of the first in the world). During this time, she garnered a Master of Arts Degree in nursing/ education from UCLA and raised her three children. In 1972, she retired at the top of her profession to move with her family to Northern Arizona, and soon after, returned to work offering her services as a traveling nurse to the Navajo Reservation and North Eastern Arizona. At 63 years of age, she turned her attention to pursue her secret passion, making fine porcelain dolls. She became a master doll maker, not only making and repairing some of the finest dolls in the Valley and the World, she took time out of her always busy schedule to teach others her art. 'Annretta, Doll Artisan and Couturier' loving mother, wife, and trusted friend, she shall be sorely missed! Annretta is survived by her husband of 55 years, two sons and her daughter, six grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 21, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, El Lago and Fountain Hills Boulevard, Fountain Hills, Az. A reception will follow, internment to commence at 12:30 p.m. in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona. Courtesy of Pat Wilson.