Osborne N. Ellis Obituary (1927 - 2019)

BRUNSWICK, ME--Osborne N. Ellis, 92, passed away peacefully on Monday, October 28, 2019, in Brunswick, Maine. He was born in Waterville, Maine on May 12, 1927, to Frank B. Ellis and Erla Edwards Ellis. He graduated from Lawrence High School in 1944, Maine Maritime Academy in 1947, and the University of Maine in 1951, with a degree in Civil Engineering. He was employed as a civil engineer in the fields of construction, papermaking and consulting engineering. Oz was hired as the first engineer at Cianchette Brothers/Cianbro in Pittsfield, Maine and ended his career as President of Kleinschmidt Associates also in Pittsfield. In between he spent many years at Scott Paper Company and Keyes Fibre Company. In his work for Keyes, he oversaw construction of numerous plants across the United States, from Albertville, Alabama to Wenatchee, Washington, with a few stops in between. Oz was a proud officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 30 years and retired as a Captain. Many organizations in the Waterville, Maine area benefited from his leadership, from the Pleasant Street United Methodist Church to Chairman of the SAD 49 School Board and a Trustee of the Kennebec Sanitary District. Oz married Virginia Young in Bourne, Massachusetts on July 30, 1949. Together they raised a family of four children whose fondest memories to this day are of time spent at the camp that he built (of mostly recycled materials) on the shore of Moosehead Lake. Oz and Jinny celebrated 70 years of marriage this past summer. An accomplished woodworker, Oz spent many hours in his backyard shop constructing boats, canoes, furniture and in his later years, dozens of clocks. As Oz liked to say, “Engineers always know the right moment.” In his spare time, he cultivated vegetable gardens and a Christmas Tree Farm in a large field of his parents’ homestead on the banks of the Kennebec River in Benton, Maine. The many family members who will miss his wit, advice and stories include his widow, Virginia; daughters Laura Muzerole (David) of Las Vegas and Jan Snitzer (Steve) of Needham, MA; sons Dana Ellis (Aletha Boyle) of Belgrade, ME and Matthew Ellis of Winthrop, ME. Oz and Jinny have seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Osborne was pre-deceased by his parents and his brother, Albert. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the United Methodist Church on Pleasant Street in Waterville, ME.