Keith Waite Ellis Sr.

Keith Waite Ellis Sr. Age 61 Years of #5 Piner End Road, College Gardens 
completed his earthly walk of this life on Sunday, September 01, 2013.

He was born at Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas on Monday, December 17, 1951 
in his grandmother's house on Dean's Street, commonly known as Muddy Alley.

Stop worrying," was something Keith Waite ElIis, Sr. said often. 
He would say that worrying never solved a problem and only caused stress. 
Those fortunate enough to know Keith know that he truly lived by this mantra. 
He lived life with a sense of collected cool, which could put anyone in his presence at ease.

However, that is not to say that Keith's life was always as easy as his dazzling 
white smile would make it seem. In fact, he came into this world already struggling to live. 
What should have been a joyous event, however, was wracked with sadness and fear as he 
was born with a tumour on his head. Doctors advised his mother to leave him at the foot of 
the bed and allow him to die because there was nothing that could be done to save his life. 
However, his grandmother, Mae "Ma" Blades was not satisfied with that diagnosis. 
She quickly went into the yard and made a concoction of herbs and bush which she gave to him. 
It would be six months before the tumour went away but when it did, it was clear that Keith had 
a vibrant, lively spirit that would not yield easily to adversity.

Keith began his formal education at William Gordon Primary School and then Southern Junior 
before moving on to St. Augustine's College in form three. As a proud member of the Big Red Machine 
he excelled both academically and athletically. He is still known to this day for his speed on the track. 
In his heyday, he was unbeatable in the lOO-metre dash and remained athletic up until his last year of life. 
He exercised daily and few people could keep up with him during his early morning walks. 
Upon graduating from St. Augustine's College in 1970, Keith studied air-conditioning and refrigeration 
repair in Santa Barbara, California. After returning home he began working at Lowe's Hotel on Paradise Island. 
It was that same vibrant spirit that had conquered the tumour at birth and propelled him around the track that 
led him to soon go into business for himself. Keith spent the rest of his life as his own boss, knowing that he would 
have a difficult time following someone else's lead.

Keith's life was a testament to the importance of loyalty, family and self-determination, 
values which he shared with everyone he came in contact with, but most of all his three children, 
Keith, Keara and Keisha, who never had any doubt that their father loved them immensely 
and would do anything for them.

Friends of Keith would attest to his seemingly contradictory nature - he was stern and direct and 
at the same time loving, compassionate and always ready with a joke. It is this combination that 
drew people to him for advice, guidance or just a listening ear. He could always be counted on to 
be honest and fair. Keith reached out to people he knew were struggling with problems or illnesses 
and always had words of encouragement or just a good joke to help them through their difficult time. 
He would give his last to help a friend and often opened his home to those who needed a place to stay 
for however long they needed. Up until his last days he still found the strength to reach out to friends 
and family with phone calls to say "Happy birthday", "God bless you," or "I love you."

That vibrancy that made Keith who he was never faded and his spirit was fierce until the very end. 
He fought with dignity, strength and pride until his last breath at home in his bed, surrounded by 
his family on September 1, 2013.  Keith Waite Ellis, Sr. touched many lives during his walk upon this Earth. 
He was loved and will be greatly missed by a multitude of family and friends.

Keith is preceded in death by his:
Father: Waite Adolphus Ellis;
Grandfather: Hillgrove Ellis;
Grandmother: Maria Colson;
Uncles: Richard "Dickey" and Lemand Ellis;
Aunt: Ruby Ianthe Seymour;
Granduncle: Gustavous Ellis;

The Radiance of this "Turquoise A Gem" will always glow in the hearts of his:
One Son: Keith Ellis Jr.;
Two Daughters: Keara Ellis and Keisha Ellis-Hunt (Emille);
One Grandson: Ethan Smith;
Two Granddaughters: Hailey Ellis and Ebony Hanna;
Mother: Violet Naomi Ellis;
Three Brothers: Kevin Sr., Lester and Joel Ellis Sr.;
Seven Sisters: Cheri Benjamin, Keva Riley, Lillian Blades, Vienna Mais, Valerie Bell, 
Joanna Ferguson and Florence Ellis-Durrmond;
Twelve Nephews: Ryan, Terron, Kevin Jr. and Nathan Ellis, Brenville Jr. and Antonio Ferguson, 
Justin Benjamin, Sammy, Mandela and Ishaka Mais, William Rolle and Stephan Hall;
Sixteen Nieces: Rachel and Michaela Riley, Krista, Makesha and Letitia Ellis, Iya Graves, Luree Kromach, 
Adero Bullock, Tracy Walthour, Sydney Benjamin, Stephanie Johnson, Joanna Mais, Ilianna Gibson, Alicia Bell, 
Amanda Ferguson and Vernita Louison;
Stepson: Lee Wallace Sr.;
Stepdaughter: Lisa Smith;
One Uncle: Frank "Count Bernadino" Ellis;
Two Aunts: Patricia Ellis and Flossie "Tiny" Seymour;
Godfather: Willis Ferguson;
Godmother: Audrey Fountain;
Cousins: Mercia Strachan, Carl Blades, Jr., Franklyn Jr., Leslie, Anita, Mia, Karen and Cynthia 
of Wisconsin, Philip and Johnny Ellis, Basil Ellis-Tynes, Arthur, Gregory and Arletha Smith of Indiana, 
Jane Archer, Dorothy Smith, Diane Williams, Carmatta, Michele and Brian Maycock, Norma Allen, 
Betty Simms, Shirley Rodgers, Evarista Mitchell, Turhurn Thompson, Theresa Knowles and their families, 
the family of the late Agnes Albury, the Lundy, Collymore, Petty, Godet, Seymour, Strachan and Deveaux families;
Special and Devoted Friend: Bertha "Birdie" Ritchie;
Other loving family and friends including: Diana Wallace, Doris Smith, Frederick Mitchell, Gail Bowe, 
Estelle Campbell, David Thurston, Willy Knowles, Dino Dean, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Darling; Booker "T" Rolle, 
Raymond "Breaker" Rudon, George Capron, Roscoe Perpall, Francis Richardson, Derrick and Vernon Symonette, 
Patrick Russell, Amber Jacobs, Rochelle Coakley, Nellie Paul, Lincoln Parrish, Tyrone "Aker" Strachan, Gary Fernander, 
Trevor Cuffy, Rowena Riley and their families, the Ritchie family, St. Augustine's College class of 1970, 
Centreville (West Court) families and friends, the family of the late Thomas A. Robinson;
Special thanks to: DuVaughn Curling, Tracy Roberts, Turnquest, the Princess Margaret Hospital 
Oncology Department, Gwendalyn Hepburn, Ms. Mathews, Latoya Deveaux and Margaret Beneby.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Princess Margaret Hospital Oncology Department.