Obituary

William (Bill) Ellis passed away from natural causes on January 1, 2025 after 83 years of life. Bill was a devoted husband of Kay for 61 years and a doting father to his daughter Susan and son Mark.

He started working for IBM as a computer repair person in 1966 when debugging meant removing the moths from the vacuum tubes in computers that filled an entire room and became a systems programmer, describing himself as one of the first computer nerds.

He was active in his children’s lives, driving hundreds of miles for Mark’s youth soccer games and always attending to Susan’s needs and desires including helping her gain independence with her own apartment.

Other than family, Bill’s passions were reading, gardening, and democracy. He was always in the middle of one book or another whether it be biography, mystery, or historical narrative. Having grown up on and near his grandparents’ farm in Wisconsin, Bill was an avid gardener when he lived in San Jose, growing African violets, snapdragons, strawberries, tomatoes, peaches, and much more; he shared this passion with his daughter-in-law Meiko by passing along growing tips for her home garden. And he had a love of democracy inspired by his high school history teacher who took students to political rallies in Wisconsin.

Bill was self-effacing, never wanting to be the center of attention and thinking about how to help others. He regularly contributed to organizations that served the causes he was passionate about: nature (Arbor Day Foundation), reproductive rights (Planned Parenthood) and human rights (Human Rights Watch).

Since retiring, Bill spent much time updating and extending his family ancestry, discovering lost relatives along the way and leaving a rich set of connections and stories for future generations to appreciate.

He was also fiercely loyal to the Green Bay Packers following their ups and downs over many decades; the team has lost one of their longtime fans and shareholders.

While the past couple of years were challenging due to Bill’s ongoing heart and respiratory ailments, he could always be found by Kay’s side, never failing to remember the important dates and to take care of her well-being with small gestures of affection; and he always called Susan every night at 8 o’clock for a check in before bedtime.

As he had wished, Bill passed away at home without any “strangers poking around” (his words). May he rest in peace. He will be deeply missed and endlessly appreciated. He is survived by his wife Kay, daughter Susan, son Mark, and daughter-in-law Meiko.