Hunter Ellis passed away in Dalton on January 16, 2004 of coronary health complications. He was 33 years old. He is survived by his mother, Vivian Deems Ellis; his sister, Lacey Ellis Stinnett (DHS '86); his brother, Lance Ellis (DHS '93); his maternal grandmother, Lois Deems; aunts, uncles, and closest cousins Chad McEntire (DHS '88) and Heather McEntire Young (DHS '92).

From his sister, Lacey: Hunter was pure, genuine, clever and smart. He was gentle, humble, curious and creative. He made his friends and family laugh. We hung on to every word of every story he told us; they were intriguing, imaginative and mostly humorous. After high school he moved to Louisiana for a while and worked and traveled on oil rigs. We were ecstatic when he moved back home! Hunter became close friends with David Adams who encouraged Hunter to follow his Christian faith more closely. His Aunt Jackie McEntire gave him a special Bible that he kept with him and referred to often. In school Hunter was shy, strong, and very handsome. (He looked so much like our father.) I have to admit he could also be the mischievous one! He had many friends and loved the companionship every one of you shared and blessed him with. We also loved having you all in our home... Oh the blackmail photos we have!!!!! He enjoyed playing football the couple of years that he did (#72); he loved southern rock music, going fishing, camping, and four-wheeling in his big 'ole truck. I also think he really, really enjoyed pulling pranks on me and my girlfriends! He loved animals, and our family pets always seemed to love him the most. He watched the Discovery channel ALL THE TIME! He could remember everything he saw; we thought he was a genius. Hunter spent most of his time, actually, in the kitchen! He held grand spaghetti dinners and Mexican fiestas for family holidays with his own recipes. Hunter had a knock-out salsa recipe and he knew people loved it. He would fill jars in our Mother’s kitchen and deliver them to anyone he thought needed some; a visit from Hunter and his salsa was good medicine for almost anything! Pencils hitting paper echoed all over First Presbyterian Church as his famous salsa recipe was shared at his funeral. David Adams still delivers Hunter's salsa to his Dalyn employees at Christmas every year. Not long before Hunter died, he worked in sales at Miracle ear. He didn’t make a lot of money, but valued the assistance he gave to his elderly customers. As my last birthday gift from him, I will always remember him allowing me to have the jar of honey one of his customers had given him from their own hives. I thanked him and asked how his day had been. He replied, “Any day I get to go to work is a good day”. I think after many trials in Hunter’s life, he had come to a place where he valued time and relationships deeply. I thank God for that. His words are a priceless lesson of which I continually try to remind myself. Despite a lack of money, Hunter looked forward to opportunities to help others. He was a huge help to me any time I had car problems and when I bought and fixed up my first home. I always felt that he loved us: Mother, Lance and me; and that he was also very proud of our accomplishments. I just wish I’d taken the time to tell him how proud and how much we loved him as well. Cliché but real- make the effort and take the time to tell your loved-ones how much you love and appreciate them… Below was Hunter’s favorite scripture, written in his own handwriting, found in a journal. We included it in the bulletin at his funeral. I hope you look it up or adopt it as your own favorite! In sincere and utter respect, Hunter’s older, but not as wise, sister, Lacey Ellis Stinnett.