The world was blessed with the presence of Carolyn Octavia Howard Ellis on October 10, 1938 in Marshal, Texas. This bundle of joy was born to the proud parents: Inez Singleton and Smith Wesley Howard. After migrating to Los Angeles with her mother, Carolyn’s time was divided between raising her younger siblings, attending school and helping her mother in the family business. She ran her household efficiently feeding the children, completing chores, cooking when necessary and cleaning all the time. Despite her constricted schedule, Carolyn still found time to participate in a horde of extracurricular activities from gymnastics and ballet to tap dancing and singing. Carolyn’s gifts later flourished as she created her own musical group, the Carols; but as life often does, Carolyn decided to take the road less travelled. She pursued nursing, teaching, and the arts. However, none of those pursuits left her feeling fulfilled, until she applied for an opening at LAC USC Medical Center. Carolyn Ellis was a dedicated County employee, who poured 57 years into the service before retiring as a Supervisor. Though she had no children of her own, she loved her nieces and nephews dearly and took many of them in as if they were her own. Carolyn was proud, hardworking, honest, earnest, sincere and no nonsense. She knew what she wanted and she went after it; but more importantly she knew the Lord, she loved the Lord and she had a personal relationship with Him. To summarize the legacy of Carolyn Octavia Ellis would take much more than 77 years and yet that was all the time that God saw fit to bless us with. And to account for all of her hopes, dreams, prayers, ambitions and accomplishments would take more than a lifetime, maybe even two. Yet, here I am required to publish a rendition of her life within a few sentences. Carolyn’s years have been colored by philanthropy, laughter, joy, tears, love and loss, as our lives so often are. It’s like trying to fit the world within your pocket. Carolyn was dearly loved by her family and friends; and we know that it is not goodbye, but see you later.  Carolyn Ellis is survived by a brother, Robert Ebow and innumerable cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.