William Ellis, Former Legislator

William Ellis' nickname "Skeeter" - Southern slang for "mosquito" - suited him to the ground: He could be nothing short of relentless about attending to the job at hand.

Mr. Ellis, who died Nov. 10 at 62 of cancer, was a respected attorney specializing in estate planning.

He also liked to travel and ride bicycles. He took cycling trips with his wife and vacationed often with his family.

"He was compassionate, and widely known in legal circles, political circles, church circles," said his law partner Chi-Dooh "Skip" Li.

Mr. Ellis served in the state Legislature from 1979-82, was Judiciary Committee chair, and passed 22 bills his freshman year.

"He was proudest of an anti-pornography bill that was challenged all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court," Li said. "It stood the test."

He also was a charter member and director of Christian Legal Society (founded in 1961), and did legal work for Crista Ministries and for Northwest College of the Assemblies of God in Kirkland.

Mr. Ellis was successful as a Republican legislator "because he had a background as a bill drafter and had grown up in Olympia," said his wife, Beverly Woodruff Ellis of Seattle.

His wife of 32 years said he knew how to network and facilitate. "His real hallmark was never burning any bridges. There were people who didn't like him, but he never cut anyone off."

He got his nickname "Skeeter" in the womb, said his wife.

"His father was a baseball player, very quick and light, could field those balls and get 'em back in, so they called his dad `Skeeter.' He got the name, too, before he was born."

Missouri-born Mr. Ellis went to Yale on a work scholarship and played on the baseball team as a relief pitcher under coach Ethan Allen. He held the record for most saves in one season.

His daughter, Allison Allegra Baker of Dallas, said he played semipro ball "but decided that was not the life for him."

During his son's youth, Mr. Ellis coached Little League, where he could be heard yelling at the kids from the sidelines.

"He did have a tendency to holler," said his wife. "It was his way of venting tension. The kids would say, `But we know he really likes us.' "

He hollered discussing law, too. His partners, moving into new office space, had triple insulation installed in his office. Mr. Ellis said his clients liked him to holler because they felt he was impassioned.

"The point was to cut through," said his wife. "He could not put up with a lot of palaver. It irritated him to just sit there and have people hash around and miss the issue. It grew out of rapid-thinking, trained analysis. He knew he was right, and there was no point in arguing the issue."

Other survivors include son Nathan Woodruff Ellis and parents Homer and Amy Alice Ellis, all of Edmonds, sister Alice Mae Shreve of Tallahassee and niece Amy Shreve-Wixtrom of Nashville.

Services have been held. Remembrances may be sent to the Christian Legal Society, c/o Ellis, Li & McKinstry, 999 Third Ave., Suite 3700, Seattle 98104.