Robert B. Ellis

Robert Byron Ellis, Jr., 86, of Kingsport, passed away Saturday, February 3, 2018 at The Waters of Johnson City. He was a native and lifelong resident of the Tri-Cities area, and a son of the late Ida Mae and Robert Byron Ellis Sr. Mr. Ellis was a graduate of Science Hill High School, where he was an all-state track and field athlete and Hall of Fame inductee. He served in the U. S. Army and later worked as a contractor for much of his life. Mr. Ellis was a big fan of the Lady Vols, and was proud of being their ?Honey Man', keeping their training table stocked with honey bears full of blackberry honey from Ellis Farms. He also sold his honey at the farmer?s markets in Kingsport and Johnson City. He was a member of the Christian Church. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by: one daughter, Jane Miller Ellis Gray; one sister, Vivian Cantley; and one brother, James Ellis. Survivors include: his wife, Sara Miller Ellis of Kingsport; one son, Robert B. Ellis III of Kingsport; two daughters, Sara Lynn Winegar, and her husband Darrell, and Kimberly Ann Minton, and her husband John, all of Kingsport; seven grandchildren, Robert Miller Ellis of Kingsport, James Byron Winegar and Bryan Jason Winegar of Kingsport, Sara Elizabeth Shelburne, and her husband Will, of Savannah Georgia, James Alexander Minton and Donovan Shea Minton both of Kingsport, and Amanda Jane Dunham, and her husband Justin, of Kingsport; as well as ten great-grandchildren. A committal service will be scheduled in future at Happy Valley Memorial Park, Elizabethton. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children?s Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142. Memories and condolences may be shared with the Ellis family via www.morrisbaker.com. Morris-Baker Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 2001 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, is serving the Ellis family. (423) 282-1521