Family members and co-workers alike were generous in their praise for Thomas “Tim” Ellison, a longtime Dallas Morning News security officer who was just as devoted to his hobby: being a people person.
“He was the kind of person who would walk in a room and it would light up,” said his sister, Luvera Ellison. “He never met anybody that was an enemy.”
Ellison, 56, died Tuesday afternoon of natural causes. Family members will host a viewing for him from 2 to 9 p.m. Friday at Golden Gate Funeral Home, at 4155 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway. His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Alpha and Omega Sanctuary, 4254 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway.
Ellison began working at The News in June 2000 and stayed with the newspaper when its offices moved across downtown in December 2017. Those who knew him agreed he had an effervescent presence and was friendly to everyone he met.
“Thomas was a lovely, quiet man," Morning News editor Mike Wilson said. "Whether you worked here or were just visiting, he made you feel at home when you walked in the door. He always asked the same question: ‘You doing OK?’ And it seemed like he really wanted to know.”
Ray Sustaita, who was Ellison’s supervisor as The News’ manager of corporate security, said he loved to joke around and tell stories, and constantly went above and beyond to help others.
“He was just an overall great guy that’ll be missed dearly,” Sustaita said. “He always had a smile on his face.”
Sustaita said Ellison was committed to his family above all. Once, when former publisher Jim Moroney offered $100 for any staff member who could recite The News’ values, Ellison learned them in one night and used the money to treat his mother to a special dinner, Sustaita said.
“When I was sick and had chemo, he practically raised my daughter,” his sister said about a period when she was being treated for cancer shortly after her daughter’s birth. “That was Daddy to her.”
Ellison’s mother, Tommie Ellison, said he was incredibly dedicated to her, spending all of his time off work tending to her needs.
“He never failed me, he never let me down,” she said. “He was my rock.”
Ellison is survived by his mother, his sister, his older brother, Louis Ellison Jr., his aunts Carrie Green and Dorothy Carey, his uncle Jerry Ellison and his favorite god-niece, Katherine Louise Ellison.
