Service will be held on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at 11:00 am at the House of Day Chapel. On the beautiful evening of June 16, 2016, our Lord welcomed home our beloved Shirley Ann Ellis. She was born in Springfield, Ohio to the union of Jesse and Katharine Dodge. Shirley attended Springfield public schools and graduated in 1952. In the fall, Shirley enrolled in St. Rita's School of Nursing and graduated with honors in 1955. She returned to Springfield, Ohio and began her career as a registered nurse at Mercy Hospital. In 1956, she and Crystal Ellis were joined in holy matrimony. They moved to Toledo, Ohio in 1957 where she continued her career as a registered nurse at St. Charles Hospital. In a few years Shirley became an evening supervisor of nurses. In 1969, she took the position of Director of Clinical nursing at Planned Parenthood of Northwest Ohio, presiding over family planning, and both post and prenatal care. She retired in 1992, after a career in nursing that spanned nearly forty years to take care of her family and grandchildren. Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers, and one sister. She is survived by her devoted husband of sixty years, Crystal Ellis; daughter, Kimberly Ann Ellis; sister, Vicky Lynn Rickman; grandson, Crystal Lorde Ellis; granddaughter, Kimmel Shirley Brown, and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Hospice of Northwest Ohio (Toledo). Family Hour/Wake will be Wednesday, June 22, 2016 7-9 p.m. at the House of Day Chapel, 2550 Nebraska Avenue, Toledo, Ohio 43607. Funeral services will also be held at the House of Day Chapel Thursday, June 23, 2016, at 11 a.m. Shirley was a member of St. Paul AME ZION Church, the Reverend Dwight H. Gutridge, Pastor, and Officiant.