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Barbara Ellis, whose maiden name was Barbara Ann Caskey, died at the age of 86 on January 25th, 2022 from natural causes.
Barbara Ellis was born on December 27, 1935 in the idyllic town of Coudersport in Northern Pennsylvania to Mary and Paul Caskey. Raised under the watchful and loving eyes of her maternal grandparents, Lawrence and Katherine Pesock, Barbara graduated from Shinglehouse High School in June 1953.
Barbara pursued her dream of being a nurse by immediately enrolling at Bradford Hospital School of Nursing in Bradford, PA. With the emotional and financial support of her aunt, Miriam Caskey Johnson, Barbara obtained high marks and was regarded as ambitious and fun-loving by her classmates. Barbara graduated as a registered nurse in 1956 and began her career at Bradford Hospital. The following year she married Fred Colosimo and gave birth to Mark Colosimo. Barbara stayed in Bradford for 12 years during which time she blossomed into a caring nurse, a supportive mother and a devoted friend to many, especially her sidekick Leona Colosimo.
In 1969, Barbara traded in her snow tires for a beach umbrella when she moved to Pompano Beach, FL with her son. While Barbara continued her nursing career in the operating rooms of North Broward Hospital she met and married the beloved surgeon, Dr. Woodrow “Doc” Ellis in 1976. Barbara and Doc, or Woody as she called him, spent the next 15 years in Lighthouse Point, FL.
The loving pair moved to Port Orange, FL in 1991. Barbara and Doc nurtured a family that included their children Karen, Keith, Mark, Butch, Kim and Suzanne and their grandchildren Billy, Dominic, Ethan, Kate, and Shelby. Yet, Barbara continued to create mayhem with her friends including her beloved Aunt Jane Caskey. After an illness she moved to Starling at Nocatee where she spent her final three years constantly entertaining the staff.
Barbara was an avid reader, always loving a good laugh from a Stephanie Plum novel. She was also an indiscriminate cinephile. Her truly impressive collection of movies allowed ample excuses for one of her favorite pastimes: gathering in the living room with her family and friends with endless bowls of candy and popcorn. Her other hobbies included shopping and keeping tabs on her favorite celebrities, most notably the famous “50 Shades of Grey” stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson.
She will be dearly missed. In lieu of flowers or donations, be kind and tolerant to those around you; you never truly know the afflictions that underlie those beside you.
Please visit her Tribute online at www.quinn-shalz.com.
