Anniversary of Ellis, Gene & Wanda - Grady County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Sandi Carter 17 Jul 2005 Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== The Chickasha Express-Star November 2003 GENE & WANDA ELLIS ELLISES CELEBRATED ANNIVERSARY NOV. 26 Gene and Wanda Ellis were married 58 years ago on Nov. 26, 1945. They started off with two Navy blankets, sleeping on the scales of an elevator that weighed corn. Gene walked seven miles to work and back, scooping gravel into an old concrete mixer. He was paid $24 for a 44-hour work week. About a year later he started going to carpenter school under Mural Spears in Chickasha, Okla. After 11 years working for the same man, Gene started his own construction company. He built houses, banks, service stations and a school house. In the late sixties Gene became a building inspector for HUD Housing in Grandfield, Okla., Temple, Okla., Waurika, Okla., Apache, Okla., Cyril, Okla., Sterling, Okla., and Stillwell, Okla. He was also chief inspector of Cherokee Indian Nation at Tahlequah in northeastern Oklahoma. He received an Achievement Award of Excellence. Gene was never late on his paper work, sending five copies every two weeks to Houston, Texas, Kansas City, Washington D. C., and Lawton, Okla., and heeping one for himself. He was always on time, seeing that the contractors were paid on the 10th of each month. Every time he was called for final inspection, they always wrote on the report, “Final construction.” During that time he received a master’s plumbing license for the State of Kansas. After completing training through H & R Block, Gene prepared income taxes from his offices in Jay, Okla., and Galena, Kan. Gene has been in the ministry for 48 years, licensed under A. A. Allen Ministries. He had radio programs under “Hour of Deliverance,” airing in Minneapolis, Minn., Del Rio, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif., and Oklahoma City, Okla. In 1974 he incorporated his own orgainzation, “Ellis Evangelistic Crusades Inc.,” according to Oklahoma laws, so he could teach and license ministers. The couple had five homes: one in Tempe, Ariz., two in Chickasha, Okla., and two in Norge, Okla. After the children got out of school, Wanda sold Avon for 18 years and worked for Mr. Lightner for many years. Now, 58 years later, Wanda and Gene Ellis have five children, nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html