ARTHUR L. “SKEET” ELLIS ’52
Skeet Ellis passed away on Jan. 17, 2008, after a two-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 77 years old.
After graduating from Amherst, Skeet joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Fort Hood, Texas. There he was assigned the job of dental assistant until his honorable discharge two years later. He returned to his home in Plymouth, Mass., and worked for the Leyden Press for four years and then joined the family business, A.L. Ellis, Inc., a manufacturer of curtains and drapes which was started by his grandfather. In 1962, he became president and remained in that position for 40 years when his son, Michael, took the reins.
Skeet married Dede Villani in 1956, and they had a daughter, Dana and a son, Michael. That marriage ended in divorce in 1980, and in 1983, he married Linda Freedman, a widow with four children.
Skeet was very active in Plymouth and was president of the Rotary Club and the Plymouth Country Club, and president of the Chamber of Commerce at various stages in his career. He was an enthusiastic fan of the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics and the New England Patriots. Skeet always enjoyed golf and revived the Hornblower Memorial Tournament, which had been suspended in 1941. This tournament, named after Henry Hornblower, has become one of the most popular amateur golf tournaments in New England.
At Amherst, Skeet was a very popular guy with a marvelous sense of humor. His fraternity brothers at Phi Delt said that he was always cheerful and fun to be around.
Skeet is survived by his first wife, Dede; his widow, Linda, two children, four stepsons, eleven grandchildren and one great-grandson. He was an affable and productive person, a distinguished citizen of Plymouth, and he will be missed.
—Jim Howard ’52