Dr. David Oliver Ellis

David was born in November 1941 in Parkstone, England, to Kathleen Agnes Mary Bailey Ellis and Percy Oliver Ellis. He received a British Petroleum scholarship to the University of St. Andrews and earned an Honours degree in Chemistry in 1964 and a Ph.D. in Biophysics in 1967. David also graduated from the Management and Leadership Program at MIT.

He was preceded in death by his mother Kathleen, his father Percy and his brother Edward Charles Ellis. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Kathleen Elizabeth Jean Ellis, of Atlanta, GA; his son, Jeremy Alexander Ellis (Mary Kent) of Atlanta, GA; his daughters, Dr. Karen Ellis James (Scott) of Jefferson, GA, and Gemma Louise Cain of LaGrange, GA; his eight grandchildren, Mary Kent Bowen, Augusta and Kathleen Ellis, Kate and Thomas James, Oliver, Nicholas, and Alexander Cain; and in England, his sister, Joy Mary Snell; his nieces, Fiona White (Jay), Hannah Bernard (Ryan), Naomi and Bethany White, and Erin Ellis; and his nephews, Ivor Ellis (Fran), Grant and Ethan Ellis.

He began his career with the 3i Group PLC, a venture capital firm in London England where he led the Special Situations Fund. David led numerous investments and held operational roles in the U.K. and the U.S. for various 3i Group portfolio companies: David was the CEO and COO of B.H. Blackwell Ltd., CFO of Software Sciences International Ltd, and CEO of Software Sciences Inc. David also served on the Board of Oxford Instruments Group PLC, the developers of the magnets used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging systems. After 3i, David co-founded EGL Holdings, an Atlanta merchant bank that managed multiple venture capital and private equity funds and a cross-border investment banking business.

David was an avid rock climber, scuba diver and ornithologist and traveled extensively to pursue his passions. He also loved photography and combined his favorite hobbies to fill his home with photographs of his favorite birds and travels.

In 1997, David suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury in a car accident and spent the past 24 years as a quadriplegic. Despite his physical challenges, David continued to excel in all areas of his life. He co-founded the MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta, received the Georgia Technology Forum award for “Outstanding Contribution to the Technology Industry,” served on the boards of many EGL portfolio companies, as well as on the advisory boards of the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech, The Shepherd Center, Neural Signals Inc., and the Wireless and Mobility Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers. He was an active member of the Technology Association of Georgia, the Technology Executive Roundtable, the British-American Business Group, and the Southern Capital Forum.

David’s life lessons live on in the hearts and minds of dozens of friends, entrepreneurs, founders and CEOs in the Atlanta community and overseas. None of those lessons are more important than persevering through adversity with a cheerful and positive attitude.

The family wishes to thank all of David’s amazing caregivers over the years, especially Chandra Spear (for all 24 years), Denise Meckelvaney, Sandra Hunt, Quiara Frank, Llana York, K’La Albertini, and wheelchair/IT whiz, Stephan Despointes.

The details for a celebration of David’s life will be shared in the future.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Shepherd Center, 2020 Peachtree Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, www.shepherd.org.