Ellen Marie Davis Rock

Ellen Marie Davis Rock of Eustis, Florida, passed away on March 27, 2021. Ellen was born on December 26, 1952, in Huntsville, Alabama, and was the second child of Leo Paul Davis, Sr., and Mary Ellen Frew Davis.  Leo and Mary moved to Mims, Florida, in 1957, where Leo began his career as a photographer for NASA, and Mary was a Registered Nurse.  Ellen and her sister, Grace, born 11 years apart, shared the same birthdate, and were together for nearly every birthday, combining their candles on the cake and lighting up the room.

Ellen was a graduate of Titusville High School.  She was able to pursue her love of animals through her work at a veterinary clinic in Titusville, during which time she was known to bring home stray dogs, cats, goats, and other assorted creatures.  Her siblings always knew when she was the last one to drive the car, because  they always found a spare bale of hay in the back.  Later, she graduated from the  Brevard Community College School of Nursing.  Ellen then worked in the neonatal ward of Duke University Hospital in North Carolina.  Ellen loved her work there, and also loved spending time in the mountains, including her adventures with her beloved horse John Paul Jones.

Ellen then decided to follow in the footsteps of many family members, and joined the Navy as a Corpsman in 1982.  It was in the Hospital Corps School in Great Lakes, Illinois,  where she met the love of her life, her husband Anthony.  It was love at first sight for both of them, and nine months later they were married in February, 1983.  After training, Ellen and Tony were stationed in Pensacola, Florida.  They transferred to Puerto Rico, where their first child, Mary, was born in 1983.  From Puerto Rico, they transferred to NAS Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida.  Their second child, William, was born in 1986, and then Ellen left the Navy in 1988 to become a full-time mom.  Their third child, Thomas, was born in 1989.  The family transferred to Pensacola, Florida, in 1996.

After Anthony retired from the Navy in 2002, the family then settled in Eustis, Florida, to be closer to family.  Ellen loved being a stay-at-home mom, and truly exemplified selfless, unconditional love as she took care of her precious family.  Ellen also loved growing plants and flowers, and her passion for animals was a blessing to all the creatures who crossed her path.  Ellen was a very talented artist, and her other lifelong hobbies included ceramics, music, movies, reading, painting, art appreciation, and one of Ellen's greatest gifts was saving injured or orphaned animals.  Ellen loved watching Sci Fi, especially Dr. Who and Star Trek, and had a lifelong love of learning which included watching documentaries.  Anthony retired from Orange County Fire Rescue in 2018. They loved to travel, and see the country.  One of Ellen's greatest joys in life was being a grandmother, and what a wonderful legacy of love she leaves them and the rest of her family.

Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, Leo and Mary, and by her older brother Leo Paul Davis, Jr..  Ellen is survived by her husband, Anthony W. Rock, daughter Mary Grace Mancillas (Jose) of Eustis, Florida, son William A. Rock (Amanda) of Eustis, Florida, son Thomas P. Rock (Christine) of Eustis, Florida, brother James E. Davis (Kelli) of Park City, Kentucky, brother Robert D. Davis (Nancy) of Mims, Florida, sister Grace D. Weber (John) of Leesburg, Florida, sister-in-law Kathi Russell of North Carolina, four grandchildren (Mia, Elijah, Zoey, and Ethan), many nephews and nieces, and great-nephews and nieces.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Ellen's name may be made to Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, or to the Lupus Foundation of America.