Obit from SFGate
Anthony "Tony" Ellis
Anthony Thornton Ellis, who was a lively, thoughtful, and loving force in the lives of his family and friends right up until the very end of his life, died on January 16th of complications related to cancer. He would have turned 89 in February.
Tony spent his career as a Naval officer, banking and corporate executive, and venture capitalist. He was a Cal supporter, civic booster, and marathon runner. A loving husband and father, he was also a devoted friend to many.
Tony was born in Eminence, Henry County, Kentucky to Georgiana Swinney and Anthony Thornton Ellis and was a younger brother to the late Anne Ellis LaMaster. His father, Thornton, lost most of his farm implement store business in the Depression and went to work for a salt company where he traveled through the state selling salt to wholesale grocers. His mother, known as Honey, was the oldest of three sisters who grew up on a farm in New Castle. His father died when he was 16 and Tony applied for a school scholarship through the Navy. He was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley's class of 1951, and left his graduating class of 14 in Eminence to become one of 5,000 incoming college freshmen.
After graduating from Cal with a degree in business administration, Tony served in the Navy for three years on an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic and a destroyer in the Pacific during the Korean War. He then attended Harvard Business School, graduating in 1956. Looking for a job in San Francisco he instead met the love of his life, Jane Canning, a recent Smith graduate. After a whirlwind courtship, he and Jane were married that fall in Evanston, Illinois.
Tony started his career at First National City Bank in Manhattan, quickly becoming the youngest VP in the bank's history. He continued to work at the bank until 1970. From 1970 to 1979 he was Treasurer and later CFO at Kennecott Copper Corporation. During this time he and Jane raised their family in Bronxville, New York where they were deeply involved in village life and made many lifelong friends.
In 1979, he and Jane moved to Washington, DC so he could take a job as Executive VP at American Security Bank. The couple decided to move back to the Bay Area in 1983 after Tony ran into a classmate at a Harvard Business School reunion who invited him to start a venture firm with him. Tony worked at Pacific Venture Partners for nine years and then joined Sequoia Capital for three years. He and Jane lived in Hillsborough, California until four years ago when they moved to San Mateo.
Tony was a long time board member at Outward Bound, Planned Parenthood, and Start-Up, now a part of Renaissance, which provides support for first-time entrepreneurs. He also funded the Anthony Ellis Achievement Award at UC Berkeley.
He is survived by Jane, his beloved wife of 61 years, and his children Clare Ellis and her husband Kip Webb, Winn Ellis and her husband David Mahoney, and David Ellis and his wife Elizabeth. He also leaves seven grandchildren: Ryland and Gordy Webb; Tess and Clare Mahoney; and Thornton, Colby, and Judson Ellis. Although he left Kentucky as a young man, he remained loyal to his home state, its special traditions, and his two nieces Mary Roberts and Ann Thornton Tipton.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Anthony Ellis Achievement Award at the California Alumni Association, Alumni House, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Published in San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 28, 2018
Anthony "Tony" Ellis
Anthony Thornton Ellis, who was a lively, thoughtful, and loving force in the lives of his family and friends right up until the very end of his life, died on January 16th of complications related to cancer. He would have turned 89 in February.
Tony spent his career as a Naval officer, banking and corporate executive, and venture capitalist. He was a Cal supporter, civic booster, and marathon runner. A loving husband and father, he was also a devoted friend to many.
Tony was born in Eminence, Henry County, Kentucky to Georgiana Swinney and Anthony Thornton Ellis and was a younger brother to the late Anne Ellis LaMaster. His father, Thornton, lost most of his farm implement store business in the Depression and went to work for a salt company where he traveled through the state selling salt to wholesale grocers. His mother, known as Honey, was the oldest of three sisters who grew up on a farm in New Castle. His father died when he was 16 and Tony applied for a school scholarship through the Navy. He was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley's class of 1951, and left his graduating class of 14 in Eminence to become one of 5,000 incoming college freshmen.
After graduating from Cal with a degree in business administration, Tony served in the Navy for three years on an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic and a destroyer in the Pacific during the Korean War. He then attended Harvard Business School, graduating in 1956. Looking for a job in San Francisco he instead met the love of his life, Jane Canning, a recent Smith graduate. After a whirlwind courtship, he and Jane were married that fall in Evanston, Illinois.
Tony started his career at First National City Bank in Manhattan, quickly becoming the youngest VP in the bank's history. He continued to work at the bank until 1970. From 1970 to 1979 he was Treasurer and later CFO at Kennecott Copper Corporation. During this time he and Jane raised their family in Bronxville, New York where they were deeply involved in village life and made many lifelong friends.
In 1979, he and Jane moved to Washington, DC so he could take a job as Executive VP at American Security Bank. The couple decided to move back to the Bay Area in 1983 after Tony ran into a classmate at a Harvard Business School reunion who invited him to start a venture firm with him. Tony worked at Pacific Venture Partners for nine years and then joined Sequoia Capital for three years. He and Jane lived in Hillsborough, California until four years ago when they moved to San Mateo.
Tony was a long time board member at Outward Bound, Planned Parenthood, and Start-Up, now a part of Renaissance, which provides support for first-time entrepreneurs. He also funded the Anthony Ellis Achievement Award at UC Berkeley.
He is survived by Jane, his beloved wife of 61 years, and his children Clare Ellis and her husband Kip Webb, Winn Ellis and her husband David Mahoney, and David Ellis and his wife Elizabeth. He also leaves seven grandchildren: Ryland and Gordy Webb; Tess and Clare Mahoney; and Thornton, Colby, and Judson Ellis. Although he left Kentucky as a young man, he remained loyal to his home state, its special traditions, and his two nieces Mary Roberts and Ann Thornton Tipton.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Anthony Ellis Achievement Award at the California Alumni Association, Alumni House, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Published in San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 28, 2018
Obit from SFGate
Anthony "Tony" Ellis
Anthony Thornton Ellis, who was a lively, thoughtful, and loving force in the lives of his family and friends right up until the very end of his life, died on January 16th of complications related to cancer. He would have turned 89 in February.
Tony spent his career as a Naval officer, banking and corporate executive, and venture capitalist. He was a Cal supporter, civic booster, and marathon runner. A loving husband and father, he was also a devoted friend to many.
Tony was born in Eminence, Henry County, Kentucky to Georgiana Swinney and Anthony Thornton Ellis and was a younger brother to the late Anne Ellis LaMaster. His father, Thornton, lost most of his farm implement store business in the Depression and went to work for a salt company where he traveled through the state selling salt to wholesale grocers. His mother, known as Honey, was the oldest of three sisters who grew up on a farm in New Castle. His father died when he was 16 and Tony applied for a school scholarship through the Navy. He was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley's class of 1951, and left his graduating class of 14 in Eminence to become one of 5,000 incoming college freshmen.
After graduating from Cal with a degree in business administration, Tony served in the Navy for three years on an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic and a destroyer in the Pacific during the Korean War. He then attended Harvard Business School, graduating in 1956. Looking for a job in San Francisco he instead met the love of his life, Jane Canning, a recent Smith graduate. After a whirlwind courtship, he and Jane were married that fall in Evanston, Illinois.
Tony started his career at First National City Bank in Manhattan, quickly becoming the youngest VP in the bank's history. He continued to work at the bank until 1970. From 1970 to 1979 he was Treasurer and later CFO at Kennecott Copper Corporation. During this time he and Jane raised their family in Bronxville, New York where they were deeply involved in village life and made many lifelong friends.
In 1979, he and Jane moved to Washington, DC so he could take a job as Executive VP at American Security Bank. The couple decided to move back to the Bay Area in 1983 after Tony ran into a classmate at a Harvard Business School reunion who invited him to start a venture firm with him. Tony worked at Pacific Venture Partners for nine years and then joined Sequoia Capital for three years. He and Jane lived in Hillsborough, California until four years ago when they moved to San Mateo.
Tony was a long time board member at Outward Bound, Planned Parenthood, and Start-Up, now a part of Renaissance, which provides support for first-time entrepreneurs. He also funded the Anthony Ellis Achievement Award at UC Berkeley.
He is survived by Jane, his beloved wife of 61 years, and his children Clare Ellis and her husband Kip Webb, Winn Ellis and her husband David Mahoney, and David Ellis and his wife Elizabeth. He also leaves seven grandchildren: Ryland and Gordy Webb; Tess and Clare Mahoney; and Thornton, Colby, and Judson Ellis. Although he left Kentucky as a young man, he remained loyal to his home state, its special traditions, and his two nieces Mary Roberts and Ann Thornton Tipton.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Anthony Ellis Achievement Award at the California Alumni Association, Alumni House, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Published in San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 28, 2018
Anthony "Tony" Ellis
Anthony Thornton Ellis, who was a lively, thoughtful, and loving force in the lives of his family and friends right up until the very end of his life, died on January 16th of complications related to cancer. He would have turned 89 in February.
Tony spent his career as a Naval officer, banking and corporate executive, and venture capitalist. He was a Cal supporter, civic booster, and marathon runner. A loving husband and father, he was also a devoted friend to many.
Tony was born in Eminence, Henry County, Kentucky to Georgiana Swinney and Anthony Thornton Ellis and was a younger brother to the late Anne Ellis LaMaster. His father, Thornton, lost most of his farm implement store business in the Depression and went to work for a salt company where he traveled through the state selling salt to wholesale grocers. His mother, known as Honey, was the oldest of three sisters who grew up on a farm in New Castle. His father died when he was 16 and Tony applied for a school scholarship through the Navy. He was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley's class of 1951, and left his graduating class of 14 in Eminence to become one of 5,000 incoming college freshmen.
After graduating from Cal with a degree in business administration, Tony served in the Navy for three years on an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic and a destroyer in the Pacific during the Korean War. He then attended Harvard Business School, graduating in 1956. Looking for a job in San Francisco he instead met the love of his life, Jane Canning, a recent Smith graduate. After a whirlwind courtship, he and Jane were married that fall in Evanston, Illinois.
Tony started his career at First National City Bank in Manhattan, quickly becoming the youngest VP in the bank's history. He continued to work at the bank until 1970. From 1970 to 1979 he was Treasurer and later CFO at Kennecott Copper Corporation. During this time he and Jane raised their family in Bronxville, New York where they were deeply involved in village life and made many lifelong friends.
In 1979, he and Jane moved to Washington, DC so he could take a job as Executive VP at American Security Bank. The couple decided to move back to the Bay Area in 1983 after Tony ran into a classmate at a Harvard Business School reunion who invited him to start a venture firm with him. Tony worked at Pacific Venture Partners for nine years and then joined Sequoia Capital for three years. He and Jane lived in Hillsborough, California until four years ago when they moved to San Mateo.
Tony was a long time board member at Outward Bound, Planned Parenthood, and Start-Up, now a part of Renaissance, which provides support for first-time entrepreneurs. He also funded the Anthony Ellis Achievement Award at UC Berkeley.
He is survived by Jane, his beloved wife of 61 years, and his children Clare Ellis and her husband Kip Webb, Winn Ellis and her husband David Mahoney, and David Ellis and his wife Elizabeth. He also leaves seven grandchildren: Ryland and Gordy Webb; Tess and Clare Mahoney; and Thornton, Colby, and Judson Ellis. Although he left Kentucky as a young man, he remained loyal to his home state, its special traditions, and his two nieces Mary Roberts and Ann Thornton Tipton.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Anthony Ellis Achievement Award at the California Alumni Association, Alumni House, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Published in San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 28, 2018
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