Celebration of Life for Jean Ellis, age 83, of Mangum, Oklahoma will be at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, April 20, 2023, at the Red River Cowboy Church, 1001 N. Byers Avenue, Mangum, Oklahoma with Pastor Darrell Coffman officiating. Services are under the direction of Jackson Funeral Home of Frederick, Oklahoma. Jean and Rance will be interred at a later date on the family ranch. Jean passed away on Saturday afternoon, April 15, 2023, at her home with her loving family beside her.

Phyllis Jean (Maples) Ellis was born on October 13, 1939, in Bristow, Oklahoma, to James Claude and Anna Mae (Younger) Maples. She started public school in Artesia, New Mexico, later transferring to Pampa, Texas, where she graduated from Pampa High School in 1956.

On January 11, 1956, she and Rance William Ellis were united in marriage at the First Baptist Church in Sayre, Oklahoma. Jean and Rance shared a rewarding 66 years in marriage before his passing in 2022. During the many years together, they moved all over TX and OK as Rance followed work. Throughout the formative years of their marriage, she naturally gravitated towards showing her love through food in every community they settled in. This would color the rest of her life and those fortunate enough to build a relationship with Jean.

She had a unique way of experiencing and interacting with the world through her artistic perspective. She was a true artist in every sense of the word. She shared her gift of creativity with her family, friends, and countless others through cooking, painting, interior design, and gardening.
If you knew Jean, you experienced her creative talents.

One of her proudest endeavors was The Pantry. Jean started The Pantry in Mangum, Oklahoma in 1992 and in 1998, she moved the business to Altus where she owned and operated The Tea Room for a period of time, prior to renaming the business, The Pantry. Jean gave countless hours building her business and creating original recipes that made a mark on the community. The Pantry was more than a restaurant and catering business. It was a place of fellowship for Jean and everyone she loved. When faced with health issues Jean made the tough decision to close The Pantry to prioritize family in 2015.

In retirement, she remained an unwavering figure of support, understanding, and comfort. Everyone who came to her with problems left with a weight lifted and a better outlook. Jean could put life's problems in perspective with simple, yet eloquent, words of advice.

Jean was a member of the Red River Cowboy Church in Mangum. She started visiting with Darrell and Tommy in 2010. Together they continued to build a strong foundation around faith and family.

Jean is survived by her children, Lynn Ellis of Mangum, Oklahoma, Marcheta Pence and her husband Greg, Rhonda Kesterson and her husband David of Port Hueneme, California, and John Ellis and his wife Angie of Chattanooga, Oklahoma; one brother, Jack Bivens and his wife Jean of McQueeney, Texas; two sisters, Gayle Pannell and her husband Jeff of Levelland, Texas, and Sandy Campbell and her husband Russell of Amarillo, Texas; nine grandchildren, Brooke Kirby and her husband Jeremy, Katie Thornton and her husband Taylor, Makenna Kesterson, Will Ellis, Cade Kesterson, Dustie Pence, Ethan Ellis, John Kesterson, and Ben Ellis; five great-grandchildren, Jackson Kirby, Charlee Kirby, Talula Kirby, Rance Thornton, and Ellis Thornton; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Anna Mae Maples; her father, Claude Maples; her husband, Rance William Ellis; and one son, William Rance Ellis.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Red River Cowboy Church in Mangum, in memory of Phyllis Jean Ellis.