Carol Irene Ellis, rural Amity, MO was born to Vincent D. and Irene (Ingle) Manker on November 25, 1928, in Quincy, IL. She attended Quincy schools and spent weekends and summers at her grandparents’ farm in Calhoun County, IL. Carol moved to St. Joseph, MO for high school, graduating from Central High in 1946. After graduation she attended St. Joseph Junior College, majoring in art, and studied water color with Al Kost for many years. At the age of 80 she furthered her art studies at Missouri Western University.
On November 29, 1947 she married James Bryson Miller, in Kansas City, MO. To that union was born three children, DeLynn Norma, Richard Jay, and Lucinda Lea. They later divorced. She married Maurice Stanley (Skinny) Ellis on December 16, 1965, at Ashland Methodist Church in St. Joseph. Carol was as a member of the Republican Party and served as a poll worker in Amity for 30+ years. She regularly contributed art to the Amity Methodist Church for their Lord’s Acre Day sale.
Carol was an artist specializing in water color paintings and pen and ink drawings. She was a Board member of the Midwest Artist Association and a member of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. She was a frequent contributor to the Albrecht Kemper members’ art exhibition and showed in the Midwest Artist Association annual art show, Art in the Park. Carol served as curator for the Maysville Fall Fest art show for 15 years. She did design and window display work for The Paris and Hirsch’s department stores in St. Joseph as well as illustrated circulars for Places Discount Stores in Bethany. She drew illustrations for calendars produced by the DeKalb County Historical Society. Her art was featured in the Best of Missouri Hands and one of her paintings hangs in the Missouri State Capitol Building in Jefferson City.
Carol was preceded in death by her parents, sister Norma J. Zier, husband Maurice Ellis, and daughter Lucinda Lea Leake. She is survived by her daughter DeLynn Holland (Ken), St. Joseph; son Richard Miller (Marsha), Manhattan, KS; son-in-Law John D. Leake, Maysville, MO and seven grandchildren: Todd Leake, Laurie, MO; Stephanie Chatfield (Charles) St. Joseph, MO; Gretchen Schneider, Platte City, MO; Wyatt Schneider, St. Joseph, MO; Tara Hahn (Jeff) Amity, MO; Douglas Miller, Topeka, KS; Kristin Miller, Riley, KS. Other survivors include 12 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Graveside Memorial Services will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 2, 2019 at Amity, MO Cemetery. Memorial Contributions: Maysville High School Art Department. Online Condolences: www.turnerfamilyfuneral.com