Earl Kent Ellis

Earl Kent Ellis, 78, passed away after a brief illness on July 2, 2017, in Houston, Texas. He spent his final hours surrounded by loving members of his family. Kent Ellis was born in Neosho, Missouri, on November 24, 1938, to Jewell William "J.W." and Irene Lucille (Goodson) Ellis, but he grew up on the family's farm outside Dill City, Oklahoma. He married Oreta Cammell (Widener) on January 1, 1960, in Clinton, Oklahoma, and they enjoyed 57 happy years together. Kent graduated from the University of Texas, in Austin, and the South Texas College of Law, in Houston. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Harris County, Texas, District Attorney's Office from 1980 to 1985, before entering private practice for several years. In 1994, he won election as a State District Judge in Texas' 315th District Court, which handles juvenile cases. Kent won reelection in 1998 and 2002, serving until 2006. He earned respect as a fair and compassionate judge. For many years, Kent served as a minister and elder in various church of Christ congregations in Oklahoma and Texas. He was a diligent Bible scholar and delivered inspiring, eloquent sermons, and he wrote with exceptional wisdom and clarity on Christian topics. Many people warmly remember Kent for the kind, loving assistance he offered them along their spiritual paths. Kent is survived by his devoted wife, Oreta; three children and their spouses, Mark Kent Ellis and his wife Tami, Angela Elisabeth Ellis and her husband Greg, and James Walter Ellis and his wife Joy; four grandsons, Geoffrey, Kent, Reagan, and James; four granddaughters, Bethany, Hannah, Elisabeth, and Anne; and two greatgrandchildren, Danielle and Marshall. He is also survived by two older brothers, Sidney Dwayne Ellis, of Owasso, Oklahoma, and James Roy Ellis, of Burleson, Texas. Kent had many nephews and nieces, whom he loved dearly. He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Shirley Dickerson and Joyce McPherson. Kent treasured the many happy moments he spent with his relatives. Kent Ellis' remains will be interred Wednesday July 12, 2017 at 10 a.m. in the Kiesau Memorial Chapel in Clinton, Oklahoma and Private Interment at the Prairie Bell Cemetery near Putnam, Oklahoma under the direction of Kiesau-Lee Funeral Home. There will be a memorial service at 1:30 p.m., July 19, 2017, at the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center, 315th district court, 1200 Congress 7th Floor Houston, TX 77002. We will carry your memory in our hearts, and look for you some bright morning on God's celestial shore.