William O. Ellis

Ellis, William O. “Bill” of Quincy, age 93, died peacefully March 6, 2009. Beloved husband of 67 years to Ellen (Dickson) Ellis. Loving father of Patricia Artis and husband Jack Phillips of Quincy, William F. Ellis of Quincy, Nancy Costa and husband Joseph of Norwood, and Suzanne Ellis of Yarmouth, Maine. Brother of the late Dorothy Froton of Allston. Grandfather of Gabriel, Darren and Matthew and great-grandfather of AJ and Rielle. Bill is survived by many nieces and nephews. Bill was born in Somerville in 1915 and attended Rindge Tech High School in Cambridge. Bill married the love of his life, “Dixie” in 1942. Bill was passionate about flying, skiing, sailing, and being with people who shared his interests. He was an avid painter, ice boater, glider pilot, and motorcyclist. Bill was a retired brakeman for Amtrak, Penn Central Railroad, and New York New Haven Hartford Railroad. Bill was a previous member of Plymouth Aviation and Soaring, Quincy Aero League, both Wollaston and Squantum Yacht Clubs, and a founding member of the Mogul Meisters Ski Club of Quincy. Bill loved building model airplanes and operated Bill’s Model Shop; young modelers throughout the area knew him for his orange VW traveling model shop. Bill volunteered and taught model airplane building in the 1950’s at the Quincy Branch YMCA and established the Balsa Bee’s Club in Boston. As a youth enrolled in Cambridge Rindge High School’s aeronautics program, he built a plane with his classmates, which they kept at Dennison Airport in Squantum. Bill has a private pilot’s license and a commercial glider pilot rating. For many years, up to his retirement from flying at the age of 80, Bill flew gliders at Plymouth Airport. Bill loved motorcycles and was a member in the 1950’s of the South Shore Motorcycle Club. Club members traveled with their families throughout New England, attending rallies and motorcycle events. Bill worked alongside Bill Ryan at Quincy Recreation on Senior Trips to the Red Sox games. During the 1950’s through 1970’s, Bill outfitted many locals with ski equipment at Bill’s Ski Shop; taught skiing for Quincy Recreation; and operated Heavenly Hill Ski Tow, at Furnace Brook Golf Course. Along with the Mogul Meisters, a group of local skiers who enjoyed social events and weekly trips north, Bill loved skiing all New England mountains, yet his favorite mountain was Bretton Woods. Bill owned numerous sailboats. His orange Hustler, #103 was named “The End” because of his frequent placing in competitive races. Bill frequently sailed along Wollaston Beach at high tide. He enjoyed his tenure as Entertainment Chair and DJ at Wollaston Yacht Club and played his record collection of 1930’s and 1940’s big band music. Bill was a familiar icon in Quincy and left a smile on every face in which he made contact. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the Life Celebration Service in Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock St., Quincy, Friday at 9:00 AM. Funeral Mass in St. Ann’s Church, Quincy at 10 AM. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 311 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA 02472; or Quincy Branch YMCA, 79 Coddington St., Quincy, MA 02169; or New England Ski Museum, PO Box 267, Franconia, NH 03580-0267