Keith Cortland Ellis

Keith C. Ellis, 82, passed peacefully in Albany on May 31,2019.  Keith was born in Oregon, the youngest of 3 children.  He spent many years growing up in Powers Oregon, then moved with his family to Colorado.  He met his soon to be bride, Joyce Schmehl in Cortez Colorado.  They were married in September of 1957 shortly before moving back to Oregon.  His family was moving to Oregon while hers was moving to Arizona.  Keith is survived by his wife Joyce, his son David and wife Andrea Nicole (Povis) and their Children Sophie, Lilly, Maise, and David; his daughter Brenda and her husband Stephen Matthews; his son Ron and his children Danielle and Matthew; his sister Ellen Aschenbrenner and her family as well as a large extended family.  He was preceded in death by his parents John Cortland Ellis and Genevieve Marie (Jensen) Ellis, his sister Coralie Wifley and her son Cortland Hightower. Keith was an avid RC enthusiast.  He was a member of the local Benton County RC Club.  He flew model airplanes, helicopters, and occasionally ran swamp buggies.  He loved to fly and to share that passion by teaching and helping others to fly.  Keith had both a natural gift and well-developed skill for nearly anything he tried. Keith could build, fix, repair or do nearly anything he wanted.  Maybe he never tried anything he might not be good at?  He fixed appliances, TVs, cars, equipment, machines, computers, etc.  He worked in his Dad’s shop, “Cort’s Machine Shop”, and as a TV and appliance repairman before finding his career at Evans Products/Evanite Fiber in their Electrical Department where he became the Supervisor.  He retired from Evanite in 2001.  In 1995, just before he turned 60, he built a house for him and his wife on property with a Pole Barn that he filled with RC planes and accessories, a couple of antique cars and a full assortment of acquired and inherited tools and equipment.  He asked for help rarely, most of the time he found a solution to anything he might need help with by fashioning some machine or tool that would do what he needed rather than bothering anyone else. Keith joined the Army in 1958.  He spent most of his two-year stint in Greenland.  After the Army he and his wife settled in Corvallis to have and raise their family close to many members of his immediate and extended family in and around the Willamette Valley. In lieu of flowers the family would like donations to be made in his name to: Benton Country Radio Control Club c/o Trump’s Hobbies 2401 NW Kings Blvd Corvallis, OR  97330