Erma Lee Bratton Ellis, 82, of Overland Park, died Monday, June 15, 2009, in Shawnee Mission Medical Center after a brief hospitalization.

Born December 24, 1926, a short distance west of Beagle, she was the oldest of the four children of Walter Charles and Beulah Miles Bratton. She began her education at Beagle Grade School and completed her elementary education in Clark Valley Grade School east of Lane. She attended Osawatomie High School, graduating in 1944. She took great joy in attending the Osawatomie Alumni celebrations as long as her health permitted.

She and Gene L. Ellis were married July 18, 1944, in Kansas City, Kansas, prior to his entering the U. S. Merchant Marine near the end of World War II. After his return home, they made their home in several places, including rural Beagle, Paola and Chanute before settling in Overland Park in 1961. They were the parents of four children.

Erma Lee worked for the Sunflower Ordnance Plant and Paymasters during the time her husband was in military service. Later she worked for Interstate Financial Services and then the Lietz Company in Kansas City, from where she retired in 1989. She then worked part-time for Overland Tow Service for her son-in-law and daughter Ron and Carol Blackley.

She was a loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, treasuring the many family get-togethers for birthdays and holidays. Her extended family will miss the letters she wrote and the hundreds of birthday cards she sent out every year.

She was a member of the Sierra Club and enjoyed researching genealogy and driving Ford Thunderbirds.

Among those preceding her in death was her husband Gene who died February 26, 1980. Survivors include her children and their spouses Carol and Ron Blackley of Overland Park, Terry and Jay Dell of Spring Hill, Trish and Stan Smith of Warrensburg, Missouri, and Charles and Bev Ellis of Rogersville, Missouri; two sisters Doris Meinking of Topeka and Wilma Peak of Paola; one brother Richard Bratton of Osawatomie; 8 grandchildren Stephanie Maurer, Stacy Berman, Chris Blackley, Angie McKernan, Sarah Locke Ramsay, Jessie Welch, Shelby Gene Kilgore, Michael, Ryan, and Katie Smith, and Jennifer Hoppe; 15 great grandchildren Nick, Jack and Annie Berman, Luke and Logan Maurer, Hayden Kuehler, Mason Blackley, Camryn, Dominic and Reese McKernan, Max, Maddie and Alex Ramsay, Ellis Welch and Camden Timler; and many nieces and nephews and other relatives.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, June 18, 2009 at the Eddy-Birchard Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Beagle Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Kevin Berman, John Maurer, Christopher Blackley, Cory McKernan, Nathan Kilgore, Mike Davies, Jason Janssen, and Russell Meinking. Memorials are to the Beagle United Methodist Church, Kansas State University Cancer Research, or Osawatomie High School Alumni Scholarship Fund.