Forrest Daryel Ellis, Md

Forrest Daryel Ellis, MD, age 93, of Aurora, Indiana and formerly of Zionsville, entered this life on February 8, 1932, at home, in Deputy, Indiana. He was the loving son of the late Forrest Ray and Dorothea Louise Wilkerson Ellis. The experiences of growing up during the Great Depression and WW II contributed to the development of the work ethic and humanity that would characterize his professional career. He graduated from Deputy High School, a small public school with a high school class of fifteen and was the only college applicant. He was team captain for his high school basketball team which won the county championship in 1950. He graduated from Indiana University, where he played baseball, in 1954 with a BA in Anatomy and Physiology and subsequently received his MD degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1957. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Ellis entered the United States Air Force and was an intern at Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco, followed by training at the School of Aviation Medicine, Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. As a flight surgeon stationed at Homestead, FL, he accompanied B-47 crews of the 379th Bombardment Wing, on flights over North America, the Caribbean, the Atlantic Ocean and Western Europe. He also flew with the Coast Guard on a rescue mission to South America. Following his military service, Dr. Ellis practiced general medicine in rural Southern Indiana for nine years. A desire to pursue interests initiated by his flight surgeon training led to a residency in ophthalmology at Indiana University. Upon completion of this residency in 1972, he began general practice of ophthalmology but returned to Indiana University as a Fellow in Pediatric Ophthalmology. He then joined the Indiana University School of Medicine full-time faculty. As a new subspecialty, Pediatric Ophthalmology stimulated Dr. Ellis's intellectual curiosity and afforded him opportunities for organization, leadership, definition, and discovery. He was a gifted eye surgeon. He served as Co-Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology from 1974-1997, and participated in the training of many medical students, ophthalmology residents, and over 60 pediatric ophthalmology fellows. His teaching emphasis was first and foremost the recognition and associations attendant to children's ocular and genetic disorders. During his career he published over one hundred peer reviewed scientific articles and numerous book chapters. He is a past president of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus - where he was recognized as a Bronze and Silver Medalist by the organization. He also served as president of the Indianapolis Ophthalmological Society, the Indiana Academy of Ophthalmology (Humanitarian of the Year Service Award, 1993, Lifetime Service Award, 2017), and The American Eye Study Club. He was a recipient of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and has served on NIH committees evaluating grant applications. He was appointed by the Governor of the State of Indiana to the Advisory Committee of the Indiana School for the Blind in 1993. He traveled with project ORBIS to Cuba on a humanitarian mission to teach local ophthalmologists in the surgical treatment of pediatric eye disorders. This trip was featured on NBC Nightly News, and he was a guest on the nationally broadcast Today Show where he discussed his observations of the Cuban Health system. Dr. Ellis retired from Indiana University in 1997 and was Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology. After retirement from IUMC, he continued to work part-time at Midwest Eye Institute in Indianapolis for another five years. Dr. Ellis's legacy lives on through the many he fellows and residents he trained. His love of competition was reflected in both time-distance-fuel airplane races as well as sailboat races throughout the Great Lakes. He enjoyed golf and liked to paint with oils. Dr. Ellis died on Saturday, April 26, 2025

Please Click Here to View the Video Tribute

Please Click Here to View the Funeral Service Recording

A LOVING FAMILY

Dr. Ellis will be lovingly remembered as a son, father, grandfather and great grandfather.

MEMORIAL CEREMONY

Memorial services will be conducted Monday, May 12, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, 325 Demaree Drive in Madison, Indiana. Interment will follow at a later date in the Pisgah Cemetery near Deputy, Indiana.

VISITATION

Friends may visit Monday from 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, 325 Demaree Drive in Madison, Indiana.

MEMORIAL EXPRESSIONS

Memorial contributions may be made to Riley Children's Hospital. Cards are available at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centers of Madison and Hanover. Online remembrances, condolences and memorials can be left at www.morgan-nay.com

To Place An Online Memorial Donation

To send a flower arrangement in memory of
Forrest Daryel Ellis, MD, please click here to visit our sympathy store.