Marcella Elizabeth Ellis, the second of four children of William Ellis Sr. and Jerda Mae Ellis (Bell) of South Bend, Indiana, was born October 6th, 1942.

As a child she became an active member of Grace AME Zion Church, serving on the Junior Usher Board and singing in the choir. In elementary school she was a Bluebird, which were the younger members of the Camp Fire Girls. As a teen she was a member of the social club, The Pixies, along with her older sister Judy. She attended Central High School where she met Kenneth Anthony Ellis. When her father Bill Sr. determined her suitor was not related, under a watchful eye he allowed them to date. They graduated in 1959 and married a year later.

Cella was always hustling. While attending Indiana University South Bend, she worked as a teacher‘s aide at Linden Elementary School and as a CNA at Memorial Hospital before starting her career in I.T., (though back then it was called Data Processing). She got her start at Ball-Band (US Rubber) in Mishawaka. Then in 1962 she gave birth to her pride and joy Kenneth Russell, who she and everyone affectionately called Rusty.

Cella divorced in 1963. Seeking bigger and better opportunities, she and her best friend Brenda Paul (eventually Brenda Scott-Brown) moved to Detroit in 1968 where she worked at pharmaceutical company Parke-Davis and at Detroit Edison.

While in Detroit, she became active in the community and in her son‘s education and development. While enrolling him in the YMCA, Boys Club and Cub Scouts, she became a Cub Scout Den Mother for the Boy Scouts’ Detroit Area Council. Running the only Cub Scout den actually in Detroit (all the others were in the suburbs), she was named Den Mother of the Year in 1970. She did all this while also being one of the biggest Tupperware Distributors on the West side. Always hustling!

In 1979 she moved to southern California, where she directed the I.T. departments at UCLA and Continental Airlines, before retiring from Hughes Aircraft in 1994. Not letting the grass grow under her feet, she enrolled at West Los Angeles College to embark on a second career in Hotel Administration, working at the Sheraton Hotel in Long Beach before returning to South Bend to care for her mother and work at the Holiday Inn and Mariott Hotels. While working at the hotels, she also worked for more than 10 years teaching computer classes at JobWorks Inc. Always hustling!

She retired for good in 2007. While in retirement, she enjoyed activities at King Center, the Kroc Center, Lunch and Learn lectures at the Robinson Center, Notre Dame Basketball games with her Aunt Nola and the occasional trips to the casino. But what she enjoyed most were the Facetime video chats with her Grandkids and Great-Grandkids. With them she would chat for hours.

Marcella… Cella Baby… Aunt Cella… Memaw… Momma…left this earth at sunrise on December 10, 2025.

She was preceded in death by her parents Bill and Jerda Ellis, brother Billy Ellis and sister Gayle Ellis. She leaves to cherish her memory son Ken and daughter-in-Love Angela of South Bend, Grandson Ken Ellis Jr.(Candise), Great-granddaughters Mariya and Kailani of Las Vegas, Nevada, Granddaughter Jade Ellis of Moreno Valley, California, Sister Judith Williams, Niece Michelle Williams and Nephew Khari Caver of Atlanta, Georgia, Nephew Reggie Williams Jr and Niece Niana Williams of Bellflower, California, dozens and dozens of Cousins and host of dear friends.

A memorial service to celebrate Marcella's life will be held on Friday, December 19, 2025, at 1:00 pm EST at the Living Waters Church of God in Christ, 1922 Milburn Ave, Mishawaka, Indiana.

Marcella's memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. We invite you to share your memories and photos of Marcella on the memorial page as a tribute to her remarkable life. Your stories will serve as a comforting reminder of the love and joy she brought into our lives.

Services

Memorial Service

Friday
December 19, 2025
1:00 PM
Living Water Church
1922 Milburn Avenue
Mishawaka, Indiana 46545

Added 12/16/2025 GMS

12/16/2025 djb