Martell Thomas Ellis Jr.

Martell Thomas Ellis Jr. “Tom” 1940 ~ 2020 On Tuesday, September 8, 2020, Tom Ellis, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, left his tired, worn out body to return to his Heavenly Father for some much needed rest.
Born September 19, 1940, to Martell Thomas Ellis and Melburn Beckstead in Salt Lake City, Utah. His family lived in Murray, Guatemala, Pleasant Grove, and finally Bountiful.
Tom graduated from Bountiful High School in 1958, a time he remembered fondly with many friends, including his sweetheart, Darla Draper.
On March 25, 1960 Tom and Darla were married and sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. They had six children and enjoyed 60 wonderful years together, over 50 of which were spent at their home in West Valley City.
Tom’s professional life mainly consisted of owning and operating a service station for a few years in Salt Lake City, and working as a machinist for many years, which is what he was doing when he retired. Tom was a volunteer for the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, and spent many years after that volunteering for the Olympic Oval and other Olympic venues.
Tom lived life to the fullest. He enjoyed many hobbies throughout his life, including dirt bike racing, stock car racing, many different collections, mountain man rendezvous, model railroads and railroad photography, and many others. He was an excellent photographer and loved trains, planes, and cars. He loved scouting and was a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award. He was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
He loved animals and in his later years enjoyed a great kinship with his cats.
He was preceded in death by his sisters, Lois Ellis and Ellen Kirkland. He is survived by his eternal sweetheart, Darla, his sister, Jane Betts, his six children, Tammy, Diane, Roger (Susie), Craig (Connie), Elaine (Darin), and Steven (April), and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
He was dearly loved and will be dearly missed. A viewing will be held Friday, September 11, 2020 from 9:30 to 10:30 am at Russon Mortuary, 295 North Main, Bountiful, prior to funeral services, which will take place at the same location at 11:00 am.
The family respectfully requests that masks be worn at both viewing and funeral.
Due to size restrictions for gatherings, in person attendance at the funeral will be limited.
Please contact a family member if you intend to attend the funeral in person.
For virtual attendance, services can be viewed on the Russon Mortuary & Crematory Facebook page at 11:00 am. https://m.facebook.com/Russon-Mortuary-Crematory-105412734572327/