Imogene Ellis
June 17, 1926 - November 14, 2024
A Celebration of Life service for Imogene Claryce (Sherman) Ellis will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 11 AM at Rustand Weiland Funeral Chapel in Madison, SD. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 AM. Inurnment will be at Graceland Cemetery, Madison. Lunch will be served at Nicky’s Restaurant in Madison following burial. The service will be livestreamed on the funeral chapel Facebook page.
Imogene was born in rural Miner County in South Dakota on June 17, 1926. She passed away on November 14, 2024 at Bethel Lutheran Home in Madison, SD where she had resided since 2018. During her elementary years Ige attended a one room country schoolhouse with a paternal aunt being her teacher. She graduated from Howard High School. During those years she boarded in town and worked a variety of part time jobs after school and on Saturday.
In 1946 she moved to Madison, SD where she worked as a bookkeeper for numerous companies and organizations including the Madison Creamery, Raven Industries, Rosebud Wood Products, Sample Our Flowers, and the VFW. On October 19, 1947 she married Robert LeRoy Ellis.
Imogene had four passions. The VFW, bowling, shopping until she dropped, and pets, especially dogs along with several cats and a horse now and then. She was a member of the VFW Auxiliary Post 2638 for over 50 years and served in offices at the local, district and state level culminating in her being SD State President. In that capacity she visited almost every Post in the state. She also traveled extensively to district, state, regional and national conventions. Her two sisters frequently accompanied her to those meetings.
Bowling was Imogene’s favorite hobby. She participated in local, district, regional, and national tournaments and was a delegate to over a dozen states during annual conventions. If it was April, Ige was somewhere in the country rolling a ball down a lane. Imogene was very civic minded and was a member of the Elks, the Lions, the BPW, the American Legion Auxiliary, The Chamber of Commerce, the Jaycees, the Toastmasters Club, Prairie Village, and the United Methodist Church of Madison.
Preceding her in death were her parents Carl and Inga (Hegdahl) Sherman, her husband Robert LeRoy Ellis, a sister Dorothy (Sherman) Christianson, and a niece, Vicki Pederson. She is survived by a sister, Marlys (Sherman) Silver of FL, as well as two nieces (Roxanne and Robin), one nephew (Robert), 5 grandnephews (Zac, Justin, Carl, Alan, and Brian) 3 grandnieces (Courtney, Libby, and Paula) 5 great grandnephews (Mac, Cash, Alex, Cameron and Ben), and 4 great grandnieces (Claire, Jemma, Laci, and Vivian) all of MN. Although Imogene and Bob didn’t have any children of their own, they were custodians for Bob’s twin niece and nephew, Marilyn and Harry, who also survived her along with an unknown number of other nieces and nephews on the Ellis side of the family. Special friends who will miss her are Linda, Pat, Steve, and Bonnie.
The family thanks the staff at Bethel and Avera Hospice for the loving care they gave her.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations to celebrate her life be given to the Bethel Lutheran Home Foundation, 1001 South Egan Avenue, Madison, SD 57042.