Sam Ellis Obituary

Sam Ellis attended Fordson High School in Dearborn, MI. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Sam Ellis.

Graduation Year	Class of 1969
Date of Passing	Jul 09, 2008
About	Age 57, July 9, 2008. Beloved husband of Jennifer. Dear father of Meagan and Joseph. Brother of Tom Ellis and Lena Day. Truman High School Principal. Visitation Saturday 4-9 p.m. and Sunday 1-9 p.m. with a 7 p.m. Trisagion at the John N. Santeiu and Son Funeral Home, 1139 Inkster (between Ford and Cherry Hill). In state Monday 10 a.m. until an 11 a.m. Service at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 2160 Maple, Troy (east of John R). Graduated from Dearborn Fordson HS where he participated in football, wrestling, and track & field. Graduated from Eastern Michigan University. Attended on a wrestling scholarship. Later took graduate classes there, as well. Taught at Westwood Community Schools Wrestling Coach- Overall Record: 275-164. From 1973-1975 @ Bishop Borgess HS, 1975-1983 @ Dearborn Hts. Robichaud Record: 101-57. 1984-87 @ Dearborn HS Record: 50-40, 1987-89 @ Lincoln Park Record: 17-8, and 1991-1999 @ Inkster Record: 71-45-2. Regional Michigan Wrestling Coaches Association COY ’79, ’82, ’83, & ’95. Suburban Division Catholic League COY-1995. Coached Varsity Baseball at several schools. Record: 101-57. Suburban Athletic Conference Baseball COY-1982. Also coached softball, girls’ basketball, middle school wrestling, & football at several schools in the greater Detroit area. Additionally, he coached Recreational softball, touch football, and basketball. Vice-President of Michigan Wrestling Coaches Association-1984-85. Inducted into Dearborn Recreation Hall of Fame Hall of Fame 2003, United States Sports Specialty Association Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Michigan Wrestling Association Hall of Fame in 2005. Was a member of the Order of St. Ignatius Wife: Jennifer Children: Joe and Meagan de Bruin Joe Ellis would like to thank the MHSCA for the honor on behalf of his father. “It brought great joy to my family, knowing my father’s impact will never be forgotten. We are truly blessed.” Sam Ellis, a Dearborn resident well known as a fiery high school principal and wrestling coach in various area school districts, died of a heart attack Wednesday morning on the way to Garden City Hospital. He was 57. Family members said Ellis’ limitless, high-energy spirit made memories that will last generations. The large, salt-and- pepper-haired man would shout at everyone in a booming, gruff voice, whether he was praising, reprimanding, teasing or expressing love for them. A son of Syrian immigrants, Ellis’ intense work ethic and selfesness were established early. You can expect a confrontational Family members said Ellis’ mother Nadima, who died in 1989, loved to tell people how her son Sam, at 13 years old in 1964, bought her a refrigerator with money he made working a paper route. “He was saving up for something for himself,” said Ellis’ brother Tom Ellis. “But he took it and bought us a refrigerator because we needed a refrigerator. We were a poor family.” Ellis took pride in his working-class, ethnic background, often telling his children, nieces and nephews that his Urst job was cleaning toilets, that there’s no shame in labor and that they should wear their Syrian heritage on their sleeves. Ellis became known in Dearborn and surrounding cities for bringing neighborhoods together through athletics, running several community pools and baseball teams for decades. He was a national-level umpire-in-chief for baseball leagues ajliated with the United States Sports Specialty Association. In 2003, Ellis was inducted into the Dearborn Recreation Department’s Special Award Hall of Fame. Having coached high school wrestling teams in Redford, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Inkster to countless state rankings, district, regional, and invitational championships, Ellis was also inducted to the Michigan High School Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005. The city of Inkster also honored him with “Sam Ellis Day” on February 14, 1980. With degrees in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University, Ellis served as principal of Oakwood Middle School in Eastpointe, and, most recently, Harry Truman High School in Taylor. Ellis was also known in his family for frequently taking his kids, his brother’s kids, his sister’s kids, his cousins kids – often an army of children – to the movies, to the pool, to the park “On Tuesday, the day before he died, he called his sister-in-law and said ‘Get the kids ready, we’re going to the zoo on Thursday.’ He got nothing but joy from doing for others,” said Tom Ellis. In addition to his brother Tom, survivors include wife Jennifer, daughter Meagan, 24, son Joseph, 21, sister Lena and several nieces and nephews. Visitation is from 3-4 p.m. for family and 4-9 p.m. for the public Saturday; and 1-9 p.m. on Sunday, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Santeiu Funeral Home, 1139 Inkster Road, Garden City. A funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. Monday at St. George Church, 2160 East Maple Road, Troy.