Rose Eileen Bonhart Ellis

Rose Eileen Bonhart Ellis, the widow of Lawrence Ellis, Sr., was born March 23, 1943, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Wilkes and Kathryn Bonhart. She departed this life Saturday, September 24th, 2022. Her parents brought her to Toledo, Ohio, at a young age where she was later joined in the family by younger siblings, Marsha and Wilkes, II (Mack). 

Rose attended St. Philip's Lutheran Elementary School and then graduated from Jesup W. Scott High School in 1960. She later received a degree in vocal performing arts from Bowling Green State University.

An accomplished soprano and pianist, she was the organist for St. Philip's Lutheran Church for many years and was a well known piano instructor in the Toledo area. Many will also remember her as a staff member of the original 1960s era Upward Bound program.

Her career began as an elementary school teacher at the former St. Mary's Elementary, the former St. Francis Elementary and the former Pickett Elementary School (now Pickett Academy), all in Toledo. However, after a circuitous vocation route, she officially retired as the City of Toledo's human resources manager.

Her volunteer activities include the Toledo NAACP, the Frederick Douglass Center (former board member), the Wayman Palmer YMCA (former board member), St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church and the Christian Legal Coalition. She continued to reinforce her relationship with God when she converted to Catholicism in 2019 and joined St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church.

Rose is survived by her siblings, Marsha Bonhart Neilson of Dayton, Ohio and Wilkes (Mack) Bonhart, II of Atlanta, Georgia; her nephew/sons, Ernest (Chip) Neilson, IV (Ashley) of suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, and Robert O. Tate, III of Chicago, Illinois; great nephews and great niece, Maxwell, Miles and Jayda Neilson; god-daughters, Lora Brooks Parks and Clotessa Shaw; special friends, Michael Ashford, Theresa Gabriel,Teresa Moore, Sonya Newton, Twyla Wheaton, the Bennett family, Billy Moreland, and her greatly beloved Memphis family.

Rose's homegoing will begin with a viewing from 10 am to 11:30 am, followed by a service on Saturday, October 8th, at Wisniewski Funeral Home, 2426 N. Reynolds Rd., Toledo, Ohio, 43615. 

She will be interred at Woodlawn Cemetery where we have the honor of locating her next to our parents.

www.wisniewskifuneral.net

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