MCLEANSBORO – Bernice Diane Ellis, 97, of McLeansboro, IL, passed away on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at Hamilton Memorial Hospital in McLeansboro.

Bernice was born August 29, 1928, in Osage County, Oklahoma, the daughter of Robert Bracken and Rachel (Johnson) Bracken. On November 12, 1954, she married Raymond Morton Ellis, Sr. at the Christian Church in McLeansboro. Raymond passed away in 2003.

Bernice was a homemaker in addition to working at Elder’s Manufacturing, Addis Healthcare, Reynolds Pharmacy, and Home Pharmacy. She was a member of Springerton Christian Church; board president of Trade Industries; a member of the Governor’s Council for Developmental Disabilities; co-founder of the Hamilton Athletic Booster Club; and a member of the Hamilton County Bottle Club and the Women’s Group at Springerton Christian Church.

Survivors include her sons:

• James Robert Moses and Linda Grigg of Maple City, MI

• Raymond Morton Ellis, Jr. and Phyllis Lanier Ellis of LaCenter, KY

• Charles Eugene Ellis and Karalee Johnston Houle

Her daughter, Alicia Diane Crumpton, and husband Jon Crumpton of Phoenix, AZ, also survive.

Grandchildren include:

• Jessica Lynn Sexton and husband Johnny Sexton of McLeansboro, IL

• Seth Andrew Ellis and wife Cassie Ellis of Mt. Vernon, IL

Great-grandchildren include Chloe Sexton, Starla Sexton, Adrain Bartilotta, and Bella Bartilotta.

Also surviving are nieces and nephews: Janet Lee Crow, Deborah Ann Jackson, and James Jackson, all of Norton, KS.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Raymond Morton Ellis Sr.; and her daughter-in-law, Pamela Ellis.

Visitation for Bernice Ellis will be held Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Harre Funeral Home in McLeansboro. Funeral services will be held Sunday, September 21, at 1:00 p.m. at Harre Funeral Home with Pastors/Speakers Chuck Belcher, Jason Craddock, Charles Ellis, and Seth Ellis officiating. The doors will open at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Glenview Cemetery in McLeansboro.

The Harre Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.