Paul Myer Ellington, age 84, passed away June 22, 2012. Paul was a resident at Glen Oakes Health Care Campus and had been fighting an extended illness. Complicating his poor health was his grief over the loss of his wife, Phyllis Ellington, Dec. 14, 2011. She was buried on their 62nd wedding anniversary and was the love of his life. He was looking forward to the day he could go home to be with Jesus and Phyllis who he always lovingly referred to as “Mom”.
Born at his family residence in rural Greens Fork, IN, June 29, 1927, Paul was the fifteenth and final child of Maude and Henry Ellington. He attended school at both Greens Fork and Economy. Paul was 15 when the U.S. entered WWII by declaring war on Japan. His older brothers were quickly drafted, and Paul soon left home to join the Merchant Marines to be a part of the war effort. When he was finally old enough, he was also drafted by the U.S. Army. He shared fascinating stories of this time in his life with his family, friends, and spoke on a couple of occasions to sixth grade classes studying world history at Hagerstown Elementary. Among those stories were details of his job on the merchant tanker of manning the rear guns searching for mines to explode in the Pacific. In the Army, he drove generals in Japan and the U.S. to inspect ROTC sites.
Paul and Phyllis met in New Castle, IN when she was 13 and he was 16. They married December 22, 1949 in Kentucky, and returned to New Castle for the first 12 years of their marriage. Paul was an entrepreneur with loads of passion and ambition. He engaged in a variety of business ventures, but spent the longest time in casket manufacturing and agricultural endeavors. He was the original co-owner of Carlos Casket Company in Carlos, Indiana built in Indiana 1958. The business venture moved the family to Modoc in 1962. After selling the Carlos Casket business in 1968, he built a casket factory in Modoc, Indiana. He operated the Modoc factory for the next 10 years with different partners, finally selling the business in 1978. After selling the casket factory, he sold feed for Hubbard Milling. He and Phyllis sold their farm in Modoc area in 1996, and moved back to New Castle, IN.
Paul’s legacy is left to two daughters, Deborah (Don) Huffman, of Springport and Paula (Gary) Keesling of Hagerstown; five grandchildren, Lea (Sam) Thomas, Laura Wilkerson, Adam (Karey) Claywell, Sara Claywell Hall, and Travis (Tiffany) Claywell; twelve great-grandchildren, Adria Wilkerson, Riley Thomas, Max Thomas, Minnie Thomas, Lincoln Thomas, Truman Thomas, Daisy Thomas, Hadyn Rhoades, Isabelle Hall, Caleb Claywell, Ashlyn Claywell, and Ruby Claywell; two sisters, Pauline Wright of Dresden, Ohio and Irene (Jim) Campbell of San Antonio, TX; several nieces and nephews.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, wife, nine sisters and three brothers.
Funeral services will be at 10:00 A.M. Friday, June 29, 2012 at Memorial Wesleyan Church, 2701 N. Memorial Drive, New Castle, with grandson, Travis Claywell, and Rev. Paul Kirk officiating. Burial will follow at South Mound Cemetery.
Visitation will be 4:00 – 8:00 P.M. Thursday June 28, 2012 at Memorial Wesleyan Church 2701 N. Memorial Drive, New Castle.
Memorials may be sent to Memorial Wesleyan Church, 2701 N. Memorial Drive, New Castle.
Arrangements by Macer-Hall Funeral Home.
Military honors will be conducted by V.F.W. and American Legion.
Online condolences may be made at http://www.macerhall.com/
Macer-Hall Funeral Directors Sam Hall, Gary Hall, and Mike Ragan are honored to conduct the service.
