Dora Ellington

January 27, 1934 - April 24, 2020

Her smile; That’s what we all are remembering in this moment. The warmth of her presence. A presence that began in a small town outside of Philadelphia, Mississippi on January 27th, 1934. Her parents Henry and Mauddie Culberson raised Dora Lee along with her other siblings – Eugene (Gene), Robert (Sonny), Evelyn (Rabbit), Sharon (Dusty), Patricia (Patsy) and Geraldine (Tiny). Around the year 1940, during the Great Migration, the family moved to the Southside of Chicago from Mississippi. She attended Stephen A. Douglas Elementary School and Wendell Philips High School. When she was 14 she met Willie Lee Ellington. Willie and Dora got married on September 16th, 1952. Their union produced 7 children – Charlene, Debra, Diane, Willie, Maurice (deceased), Sharon and Andrea. Those 6 children produced 21 grandchildren – and the greats and great-great grandchildren came into existence over the years. Amazingly, she was able to see not only her grandchildren grow up, but even had the chance to see a few of her great-great grands – what a life. What a life she led, indeed. She traveled the world. She was a hard worker that dedicated 33 and half years to the post office and developed life-long friendships that lasted till this day. But most important of all, she was a woman of great spirituality. At the age of 25 she dedicated her life to Jehovah in April of 1960. For over 4 decades she attended the Dearborn congregation in Chicago, IL. After she retired, she moved to Columbus, Georgia and attended the Cooper Creek congregation with her two daughters, Charlene and Debra. She was a faithful servant of Jehovah until the very end. On Friday, April 24th, 2020, she fell asleep in death. She has left for us to forever remember her warmth. Her love. Her giving spirit. And that smile. That joy. Her exemplary example of faith. Job well done, Dora Lee. She leaves behind her only living sister, Sharon Culberson-Evans, and her beautiful children to continue her legacy in life – Charlene Odom (James Monroe – Deceased), Debra Jeffries (Darnell), Diane Bell (Roosevelt), Willie Lee Ellington, Jr., (Lorelei), Sharon Richards (Eric), and Andrea Ellington (Jay Wise – Fiancé). She also has a vast number of grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grands, nieces and nephews, and a multitude of close friends and family.