Charles “Busta” Ellis, Sr.
In Loving Memory of Charles “Busta” Ellis, Sr.
VISITATION SERVICE:
🕜 Friday, September 5, 2025, from 3:00-5:00 PM
📍 M&H Memorial Chapel
411 S. Walnut St. | Hope, AR
CELEBRATION OF LIFE:
🕜 Saturday, September 6, 2025, at 2:00 PM
📍 Hope Methodist Church
2300 South Main Street | Hope, AR
Final Resting Place – Saint Mary Cemetery | Bradley, AR
Life’s Journey
“What is a man? The measure of a man can only be determined by the life that he lived. His character is modeled toward perfection by his enduring love of God and his fellow human being.”
Charles Ray Ellis, Sr., of Hope, AR, departed this life on August 27, 2025, at Hospice of Texarkana in Texarkana, Texas. He was born on March 8, 1948, in Shreveport, LA, to the late Odell Ellis and Rossetta Hawthorne.
Charles later left home and began his own family in the small town of Bradley, AR, where he met and married Mary Helen Moss.
He worked on a farm for a number of years before moving to Nashville, AR, where he was employed at Tyson Foods until he became ill and could no longer perform his duties. Charles Ray Ellis, Sr. took sick with COVID and afterward was unable to live alone. During this time, he continued to show strength and faith, cherishing moments with his loved ones. He was then admitted into Heather Manor Nursing Facility in Hope, AR, where he enjoyed visiting with his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Odell Ellis and Rossetta Hawthorne; his beloved wife, Mary Helen Moss; his children, Charles Ray Ellis, Jr., Janice Ellis Thomas, and Ricky Ellis; and his siblings, Humon Ellis, Jimmy Ellis, Ray Ellis, Adale Ellis, Katherine Eason, and Lizer Burton.
Charles leaves to cherish his memory four daughters, Teresa Rollins (Jerry) of Texarkana, AR, Marilyn Ellis of Fulton, AR, Marissa Ellis of Texarkana, TX, and Cynthia Ellis of Plain Dealing, LA; one son, Emanuel Carper of Plain Dealing, LA; eleven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; three sisters, Ela Mae Burton of Canfield, AR, Rosie Lee Couch of Bradley, AR, and Clote Ellis of Pine Bluff, AR; one brother, Othree Ellis of Plain Dealing, LA; along with a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.