Ella J. Lewis, age 93 of Clintonville, passed away on Friday, March 27, 2020 at Aster Assisted Living, Clintonville.
Ella Jane (Curtis) Lewis was born on September 19, 1926 at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, WI. Parents were Lloyd M. and May B. (Hart) Curtis. When she was two years old, the family moved to Waupaca. She attended Waupaca public schools graduating in 1944 at age 17. She then moved with her widowed mother and younger sister to Chicago, IL. After getting a Workers Permit, (child labor laws), she was employed by the John E. Fast Electrical Condenser Corp. where the Corp. earned an E for effort from the War Department in WWII. She was proud to have had a job which helped the war effort. When the war ended, so did her employment, but she continued living in Chicago until her husband was honorably discharged from the United States Coast Guard. On December 2, 1944 she was united in marriage to her best friend and love of her life, Clifford W. Lewis of Waupaca, while serving his Country in the U.S. Coast Guard in WWII. At war’s end, they returned to Waupaca to live and Cliff returned to his job with FWD Corp., Clintonville, WI; Ella worked for the Zwicker Knitting Mills, Waupaca Branch until they moved to Clintonville in 1950. Later that year, she too was employed at FWD Corp, where she worked in cost accounting as a cost analyst for 40 years. She found time to take a three year art course with Art Institute, Minneapolis, MN. She served on the Utility Board for many years and proudly served on the Veterans Memorial AD-Hoc Committee serving as their historian and making a scrapbook of all events during the six years plus that this Committee worked to establish the beautiful Veterans Memorial as it stands today. Ella was a member of the United Methodist Church, Clintonville, serving on many committees over the years and always willing to help in any way she could to serve the Lord. She loved the outdoors, hiking around Clintonville just for the fun of it and making the most out of sadness into gladness while she hiked. She loved all God’s “little critters” and found great joy in wild flowers and bird songs. She also loved canoeing with Cliff on Long Lake at dusk when the night birds sang and the waters stilled.
She is survived by many wonderful nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and nephews. Ella was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Clifford W. Lewis; four half-brothers, Leslie L. and Colvin S. Curtis, Clair R.and Winfield E. Bishop; a half-sister, Dorothy Hewitt; and sisters, Priscilla J. Lundgren, Alice Davis and Margaret Enslow.
Ella’s memorial service will be held privately on Saturday, September 19, 2020 at the United Methodist Church, Clintonville, with the Rev. Diana Ziegler officiating. Friends are encouraged to attend a public visitation from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2020 at the church. Please follow local recommendations concerning COVID-19 if you plan to attend the visitation. Inurnment will take place at 9 a.m. on Monday, September 21, 2020 at Lakeside Memorial Park, Waupaca. The Eberhardt-Stevenson Funeral Home & Crematory, Clintonville, is assisting Ella’s family. An online guestbook is available at eberhardtstevenson.com.
Ella leaves one message, “always be humble and serve your fellow man.” In lieu of flowers, Ella asks that you seek out someone who is lonely, sick, elderly, or lives alone and do something really nice for them.