Ila J. Ellis

Ila J. Ellis, 93, of Oak Harbor, OH, passed away Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at Stein Hospice Inpatient Unit in Sandusky, OH. She was born April 9, 1932, in Oak Harbor to John W. and Luella I. (Beier) Risch. Ila graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 1950.

On June 14, 1952, in Oak Harbor, she married Frank L. Ellis, who preceded her in death on September 20, 2019. Ila dedicated much of her working life to caring for others, serving as a nurse's aide at Riverview Nursing Home in Oak Harbor for 36 years. Prior to that, she worked for 12 years at the Erie Army Depot in Port Clinton, OH.

Ila was a devoted member of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oak Harbor, where she formerly taught Sunday School and assisted with Vacation Bible School. She found joy in painting ceramics, solving puzzles and cryptograms, crocheting, cross-stitching, coloring, playing her organ at home, and watching birds from her window. She especially enjoyed helping her daughter, Karen, plant flowers around the house.

A woman of great strength and conviction, Ila possessed a deep and abiding faith. Her family admired her as a role model for the example she set through her kindness, perseverance, and selflessness. She will be remembered for always placing others before herself.

She is survived by her daughter, Karen Ellis; grandson, Tyler (Elizabeth) Ellis; great-grandson, Lincoln Ellis; sister-in-law, Joyce Risch; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her son, Glenn Ellis; sisters, Evelyn Hanson, Ruth Risch, and Bernadine Buehler; and brothers, Delbert Risch and Gaillard Risch.

Funeral services for Ila will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 3, 2026, by Pastor Becky Bolander at the Robinson-Walker Funeral Home & Crematory, 165 E. Water St., Oak Harbor, OH, with visitation two hours prior from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Salem Township Union Cemetery in Oak Harbor.

Memorial contributions in Ila's memory may be given to St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Oak Harbor, or Stein Hospice, Sandusky, OH. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com.