Esperanza Quintero Ellison was born in Guadalajara, Mexico on 11/23/1932. She came from a family that was in the grocery business. One of six children who helped the family grow their business during the day as bookkeeper, and performed with the Ballet Folklorico of Guadalajara on evenings and weekends. She and husband Arnold Ellison enjoyed dancing, bowling, traveling, and creating many culinary experiences for their family. She pursued and excelled at oil and acrylic painting. She took daily walks to keep herself healthy, her garden grew and flourished with her green thumb. Esperanza had many childhood friends and made many new friends. Always observing how she could help her family in any way with her steadfast support. Expressing kindness, generosity, and her strong Christian faith in Jesus Christ.

Our namesake Ellison was shaped by love, faith, family, and hard work. Their core commitment was to amplify and demonstrate a life of love that surrounded and created a tight link with family relationships. Both Esperanza and her adoring husband of forty-two years Arnold Ellison, shared many qualities: careful personalities that were cautious by nature and attuned to consequences in unpredictable matters. Such is the way they met each other in Guadalajara, Mexico 1959. Arnold never spoke Spanish; Esperanza never spoke English. Theirs reflected what could be called “love at first sight”.

They made their residence in Los Angeles, CA where all four children were born: Elizabeth Ellison-Bird, Bruce Ellison, Marina Ellison Nyerges, and Matthew Ellison. Grandchildren: Tyler Ellison, Candace Ellison, Brittany Ellison, Kristina Ellison-Walker, Alexandra Nyerges, Isabella Nyerges, Matt Jr. Ellison and Shaun Ellison, along with (one great grandchild-Mackenzie), Zahara Kaye Landero and Alyssa Marie Porras.

Both Esperanza and Arnold Ellison were beauties that transfixed people in a room. Both frequently traveled every summer to many parts of Mexico, primarily to sunny, sandy beachfront hotels along the Pacific shore.

Her dream was to travel to Europe before marriage. Arnold made it possible for her to go after they married. Both were fiercely protective, and tough as nails with exceptional instincts about people. Both were warm and good humored with a ready smile and easy charm.

Her bottomless energy to tending her house and garden punctured any pretension during the day as she wrestled with problems with long soliloquies, and successfully navigated from the garden to the kitchen to cook a culinary feast for dinner. Our father always looked forward to this time of day with anticipation. Esperanza and Arnold enjoyed their offspring that lasted forty-one years together. As God called her to join Him and her earthly husband in heaven on January 25,2023: she is now delighting and resting peacefully praising God for eternity.

John 14:1-3

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a

place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.