Michael Ray Ellis

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost one of the their biggest fans when Michael "Mike" Ellis passed away on December 30, 2019, after a lengthy illness, at the age of 71. In his true stubborn form, he fought hard against his illness, but in the end, he passed peacefully with his loving wife by his side. He was reunited in Heaven with his father, John Ellis, mother, Edna Bufkin Ellis, brother Ronald Ellis, and beloved dog, Copper. There's no doubt that they are together catching up and having lots of laughs. There was nothing more important to Mike than his family, and to say he loved them deeply is an understatement. Here to cherish his memory is the love of his life, and wife of 50 years, Sarah Lena Ellis. They started out as high school sweethearts, and built a life together that many can only dream of. He never passed up an opportunity to sing "When a Man Loves a Woman" to her. His first daughter Tina Ellis Rawlins (husband Jeff), shared his passion for music, and on many occasions, was blessed to be able to play and sing together. Mike was a self-taught musician, but could rock out on the guitar, bass, and drums just as well as the artists that he loved (we're looking at you ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan). His second daughter, Tammy Ellis Henderson (husband Chris), shared his love for football (Who Dat!), and loved spending hours discussing games, teams, and which players they thought needed to hang up their cleats. And he never hesitated to let anyone know how much he disliked the Dallas Cowboys. His two grandsons, Mike McIntosh, and Matt McIntosh, were his pride and joy. He loved these two boys more than anything. Together they would go fishing, watch football, talk about music, and learn all about his prized possession - his 1967 Olds 442. Mike made it a family affair to take his hot rod to the drag strip (where he would win!), in addition to entering it into the World of Wheels, where he won several awards, and top honors. Also to his credit, his entire family inherited his sweet tooth and love of chocolate (Snickers was his absolute favorite). Mike was a shy soul, and had a tough exterior (do NOT touch his hat!), but he had a heart of gold, and all that knew him were better off for it. He was loving, generous, sentimental, and fiercely loyal. He was also an exceptionally hard worker, and retired from General Electric (GE) in 2004, after working there for 25 years. He always gave 110% to anything he put his mind to from home remodels done with his bare hands, to building model trains, to hand-drawing and writing birthday cards. He completed them all with love and pride. His sense of humor was absolutely infectious and he loved to have fun. There was nothing better than watching Planes, Trains and Automobiles, or The Jerk, with him, and listening to him laugh so hard he could barely breathe. He had a crooked smile that would light up the room. Mike's family and friends will gather to honor him and his life on Saturday, January 25, at Rose-Neath Funeral Home South Chapel, 2500 Southside Drive, Shreveport, LA. at 2:00p.m. There will be a reception following until 4:00 p.m., where we will continue to celebrate all the wonderful memories Mike brought to our lives.