Courtney Ellis

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June 11, 2021 · via iPhone

Memory shared by Lucy Fowler

I was so sad to hear of Courtney’s passing. He was a kind, giving soul. Whenever we would run into each other he would give me a big smile and ask how I was. He would chuckle and comment that he would never forget me as... more

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Amina Bhatia

This photo was taken in Brian Head, Utah, on our journey from Albuquerque to San Francisco. Our work visas for Australia were in limbo, so we made our way to our port of departure by way of a stunning drive from Albuquerque... more

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Rattan & Doris Bhatia

Doris and I had only a few, and far between, occasions to meet with Courtney.The times we remember the most include his wedding, Amina’s Fellowship graduation at Emory hospital in Atlanta, and the Ellis... moreMemory shared by Rattan & Doris Bhatia

Doris and I had only a few, and far between, occasions to meet with Courtney.The times we remember the most include his wedding, Amina’s Fellowship graduation at Emory hospital in Atlanta, and the Ellis family’s annual ‘stop over’ visits with us during their Christmas holidays in Vermont. Each time during these visits we
discovered a new specific aspect of his personality that revealed him as an all-round family loving and friendly individual, as well as an efficient manager and organiser.
Our first ‘official’ encounter with Courtney was at the wedding ceremony when I had the honour and pleasure of walking my niece, Amina, down the Isle towards the impatiently waiting young and handsome ‘boy’. Both looked happy and loving at the prospect of tying the knot. Amina and Courtney came from different social backgrounds- Amina a daughter of an Indian immigrant father and American mother, and a medical degree, while Courtney a100 percent American and, at that
time, a successful professional in the private sector. This divergence must have required substantial adjustment on the part of both in settling as a married couple. As their life history shows, they fully well made that adjustment. I believe that during his bachelor days Courtney must have come across the economic concepts of ‘comparative advantage’ and ‘division of labour’ that say that interacting entities
(countries, companies, partnerships etc.) will mutually gain the most if each party concentrated on pursuits where it has comparative advantage in relation to its partner. The truth of this axiom is evident in the case of the Ellis family. While Amina concentrated on being a pediatric surgeon, Courtney chose to stay at home to raise the new-borns through to their teens. Result: Amina has the reputation of being an excellent surgeon and Courtney could take pride in the way he raised and guided the three infants to grow to become ‘model’ children whose love and admiration for him are always on display. Additionally, Courtney used his managerial and organisational capacities to actively help Amina in her quest to seek and achieve her
ambitions as a surgeon. He was often the spokesperson for Amina, and he performed that role meticulously well.
Personally, I was touched by his two observations he made to me- one at the very early time after their marriage when Amina and he used to come to Arlington often to meet his parents, and another only last month when I called their Atlanta home to congratulate Nathaniel on his graduation. On the first occasion he remarked that when he thought of Amina’s family, he felt that Doris and I were the ones that came to his mind the most. On the second occasion, he told me that their children had appreciated reading the little notes that, in response to Amina’s request, I had prepared for “My Story” site and wondered why we had not been an active part of their social life. Courtney added that he shared the same sentiments but blamed it on the distances that separated us. less

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Amina Bhatia

This picture was taken in Thailand a few months before I met Courtney, but Courtney spoke of this trip so vividly that I feel I can do the tale justice. The expedition to Thailand was Courtney’s first big trip outside... more

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Casey Ellis (photo to come)

This captured a moment in 1985 that really reflects the face of laughter and humor that Courtney spirit would bring to any time you spent with him. Reflects his sparkle and impish humor he could bring to any... more

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Liz Peverall

Courtney was such a vibrant, loving soul, even during his time of illness, that it is really hard to imagine him no longer with us. We met Courtney at the Rocking Horse Inn in Taos New Mexico, in 1992. He and Amina were... moreMemory shared by Liz Peverall

Courtney was such a vibrant, loving soul, even during his time of illness, that it is really hard to imagine him no longer with us. We met Courtney at the Rocking Horse Inn in Taos New Mexico, in 1992. He and Amina were there on a ski trip. We arranged to meet while on a Southwest trip Carl and I took with Ethan during the year I took off for medical school after Ethan was born. Others in our medical school class had already
met Courtney, and we had heard how smitten they were with each other. We had the same experience as others, seeing instantly how they were perfect for each other and how, right away, Courtney felt like a lifelong friend. They both were lovers of the outdoors, adventure, and travel. Amina’s training and this love of travel eventually took them to Australia, where, of course, very romantically, they got engaged at the
stroke of midnight of the new millennium. We had the good fortune to attend their wedding in Seattle in 2001. Ethan, then 10, hesitated not one second in getting right into Courtney’s car to be wisked away the fun kid things happening while adults attended a pre-wedding festivities. We were then blessed that Amina chose Emory for her fellowship, putting us in close enough proximity for them to come to us for a mountain
retreat, and us to visit them for a city fix. Our friendship to continued to grow . It was Courtney who showed me the Kingfishers that live on our river, and I think of him every time I see one while kayaking. It was during one of his visits with the kids, that we discovered that Ethan had gone out on a very unauthorized spin in the family car at age 14. Courtney was an anchor for us as we dealt with this, never seeming judgmental, just
supportive. This photo is from our trip with Amina and Courtney to Key West January 2019. There, Courtney, though weakened by his condition, was an inspiration. He and Amina dealt with it all and accepted it as he tried to live life to the fullest within the level of his abilities. If that meant sitting on the porch and enjoying the incredible view and entertaining us with lively conversation, he seemed to appreciate every minute. We enjoyed being to toured on foot and by car through a city he knew well from years of
family vacations. We got to see him one last time just over a year ago when they stopped on the way to their yearly trip to a family camping retreat in Vermont, still with much joy, enthusiasm, and love for his family. When Covid hit, it dawned on me what life would be like for him, not getting to be around people, so I called him and enjoyed the stories of his family he loved so much and all that they were up to, which we all know was his unwavering top priority. What we have now are amazing memories of a great friend, a wonderful husband, the most enthusiastic devoted dad we can imagine. We will all miss him greatly less

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June 10, 2021

Passionate is the word that comes to mind to describe Courtney and one of the qualities that touched my life so deeply. Courtney had the wisdom and the drive to squeeze every drop of beauty and blessing that life can offer. And his enthusiasm for... more

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Casey Ellis (picture to come)

For those that knew Courtney this picture captures his "Look" which is one where he is getting ready to tell a story or explain something of interest to his nephews. One unique story comes to mind of... more

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Amina Bhatia

It was May, 1992. I had just finished medical school, and Courtney and I had known each other almost 6 months. Courtney had business with CRC in Paris, and he invited me to join him after his meetings. Courtney, of course,... moreMemory shared by Amina Bhatia

It was May, 1992. I had just finished medical school, and Courtney and I had known each other almost 6 months. Courtney had business with CRC in Paris, and he invited me to join him after his meetings. Courtney, of course, bought me the ticket and planned the entire trip. Courtney’s vast knowledge of the
history, geography, and sites as well as a superior grasp of the airline and hotel industries led to always amazing trips on a budget, and this first big trip that we took together was no different. He had chosen a boutique hotel (the Phenix hotel – he of course kept a card from the place) just 1 block from the Arc de Triomphe. We then headed by train to the Loire Valley to Blois (I recall the best fondue ever there), where
we rented bicycles. We rode from castle to castle – Chambord, Cheverny, and more – stopping by the side of the road to eat fresh baked baguettes with cheese and pate (and occasionally a little red wine). I can still picture the art class of school children with their palettes and easels in the courtyard of Cheverny. We then headed to Arcachon, a beach town on the Atlantic coast, where we played on large sand dunes (Great Dune of Pyla). I trying jumping off one, only to do a head plant in the sand. Courtney suffered with the sand that fell from my hair and ears for several days after that but never complained. Courtney, of course, sniffed out the WWII bunkers on the edges of the beach. Next, we took the train to a stop seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I was worried that we had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Courtney reassured me that we needed to walk a half-mile and the town would be there. As we trekked along the country road, a hill rose up in front of us, and the medieval town of St. Ẻmilion (where we are in the photo above) emerged. We stayed in a quaint room overlooking the lit courtyard and the church. The restaurant in the inn was fabulous. They kept bringing out cheese, which I gobbled down with gluttonous pleasure. Courtney had such a smile on his face when he finally let me know that they were going to just keep bringing me cheese until I said stop. He got such a kick out of my innocent uncouth behavior and never made me feel uncomfortable. We then toured the wineries. Courtney communicated so well in French, but he stumped them when trying to ask why the wine had a certain “chalky” flavor (which, once one winery understood what he was saying, he learned quickly never to say that again). We made our way to Bordeaux with plans for a train ride in the morning to catch our early afternoon flight back to Washington, D.C. Carefree and back in Paris, we decided to stop at some fromageries for gifts on the way to the airport. Of course, when we arrived to the airport, we were
much too late to catch an international flight. To me, this was the moment that solidified our compatibility - missing an international flight would be the end of many a new relationship. But for us - we shrugged our shoulders and celebrated that we would have yet another day in Paris. Courtney, of course, was able to rebook a flight for the next day at a nominal fee. We returned to the Phenix hotel, bought several liquor-filled
chocolates, and wandered along the Seine, enjoying our bonus night in the City of Love. The next day, we returned to the US where Courtney’s folks were picking us up at the airport. Courtney, of course, whisked
through security. I, on the other hand, fumbled through explaining how he lived in Seattle, I lived in NY, he arrived in Paris several days before me, and so on. Subsequently, my bags were searched, uncovering all my undeclared cheeses that we had purchased that day before. Courtney’s folks were so confused why I was not coming out of security, but I finally emerged, and we all had a good laugh. Fortunately, immigration let me keep the cheese. less

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Eric & Linda Christenson and posted by Peter Grimlin

Courtney was a tenth grader when I watched him learning to ride his unicycle from our house down Potomac Street to the Ellis house. As a teacher at Yorktown, I watched him perform... more

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June 10, 2021

Memory shared by Kevin Burdette
This song came into my head today, and it made me think of Courtney, who got to catch up with his
mother, father, and brother four months ago today: https://youtu.be/8xVRVfqAV0s
Sending love to his family, especially... more

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June 10, 2021

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June 5, 2021

Memory shared by Amina Bhatia.
It was May, 1992. I had just finished medical school, and Courtney and I had known each other almost 6 months. Courtney had business with CRC in Paris, and he invited me to join him after his meetings. Courtney, of course,... moreMemory shared by Amina Bhatia.
It was May, 1992. I had just finished medical school, and Courtney and I had known each other almost 6 months. Courtney had business with CRC in Paris, and he invited me to join him after his meetings. Courtney, of course, bought me the ticket and planned the entire trip. Courtney’s vast knowledge of the history, geography, and sites as well as a superior grasp of the airline and hotel industries led to always amazing trips on a budget, and this first big trip that we took together was no different. He had chosen a boutique hotel (the Phenix hotel – he of course kept a card from the place) just 1 block from the Arc de Triomphe. We then headed by train to the Loire Valley to Blois (I recall the best fondue ever there), where we rented bicycles. We rode from castle to castle – Chambord, Cheverny, and more – stopping by the side of the road to eat fresh baked baguettes with cheese and pate (and occasionally a little red wine). I can still picture the art class of school children with their palettes and easels in the courtyard of Cheverny. We then headed to Arcachon, a beach town on the Atlantic coast, where we played on large sand dunes (Great Dune of Pyla). I trying jumping off one, only to do a head plant in the sand. Courtney suffered with the sand that fell from my hair and ears for several days after that but never complained. Courtney, of course, sniffed out the WWII bunkers on the edges of the beach. Next, we took the train to a stop seemingly in the middle of nowhere. I was worried that we had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Courtney reassured me that we needed to walk a half-mile and the town would be there. As we trekked along the country road, a hill rose up in front of us, and the medieval town of St. Ẻmilion (where we are in the photo above) emerged. We stayed in a quaint room overlooking the lit courtyard and the church. The restaurant in the inn was fabulous. They kept bringing out cheese, which I gobbled down with gluttonous pleasure. Courtney had such a smile on his face when he finally let me know that they were going to just keep bringing me cheese until I said stop. He got such a kick out of my innocent uncouth behavior and never made me feel uncomfortable. We then toured the wineries. Courtney communicated so well in French, but he stumped them when trying to ask why the wine had a certain “chalky” flavor (which, once one winery understood what he was saying, he learned quickly never to say that again). We made our way to Bordeaux with plans for a train ride in the morning to catch our early afternoon flight back to Washington, D.C. Carefree and back in Paris, we decided to stop at some fromageries for gifts on the way to the airport. Of course, when we arrived to the airport, we were much too late to catch an international flight. To me, this was the moment that solidified our compatibility - missing an international flight would be the end of many a new relationship. But for us - we shrugged our shoulders and celebrated that we would have yet another day in Paris. Courtney, of course, was able to rebook a flight for the next day at a nominal fee. We returned to the Phenix hotel, bought several liquor-filled chocolates, and wandered along the Seine, enjoying our bonus night in the City of Love. The next day, we returned to the US where Courtney’s folks were picking us up at the airport. Courtney, of course, whisked through security. I, on the other hand, fumbled through explaining how he lived in Seattle, I lived in NY, he arrived in Paris several days before me, and so on. Subsequently, my bags were searched, uncovering all my undeclared cheeses that we had purchased that day before. Courtney’s folks were so confused why I was not coming out of security, but I finally emerged, and we all had a good laugh. Fortunately, immigration let me keep the cheese. less

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Donna Ellis reacted on this.

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June 5, 2021

Memory shared by Amina Bhatia.
One of our favorite places in Atlanta is an ice cream shop in a caboose in Chamblee called Frosty's. Courtney and Sabra would share a banana split, which was HUMONGOUS. Courtney, who could be a little cheeky, would always... more

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June 4, 2021

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