Promoted to Glory: Lt. Colonel Lois Ellis
Lt. Colonel Lois Ellis was Promoted to Glory on September 11, 2026, at the age of 96.
Lois Catherine Cates was born on May 9, 1930, in Miami, FL, to parents Leonard and Charity Cates — one of twelve children. Growing up in south Florida, Lois learned to appreciate the flowers and birds of the Miami and Everglades area.
The Salvation Army entered her life at age six while she was playing in her neighborhood, when she and the family were invited to the Miami Citadel Corps. She was converted at age eight, and at age 16 she gave her heart to Christ at a youth councils.
Throughout those years, she had been active in the corps, leading open-air meetings, playing in the band, preparing talks, and teaching a Sunday school class. Her parents felt the seriousness of committing to being a Corps Cadet, so she had to wait to participate until age 15, at which point she took the training very seriously.
She was also an active athlete, playing basketball, among other sports, before graduating from Miami Senior High in 1948.
Lois felt an urge to offer herself as an officer in the Army but did not pursue it further until her prayers were answered when God called her one Easter Sunday. Her desire was to serve in the greatest occupation in the world — bringing the lost to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
She was a member of the 1950 Standard Bearers session of cadets, and after her ordination and commissioning as a Salvation Army officer she was sent to Tampa, FL and Charleston, SC, before marrying Lieutenant Houston Ellis on May 9, 1951 — also her 21st birthday.
Together, they served in corps appointments in Bradenton, FL; Frederick, Parkersburg, and Wheeling, WV; and Birmingham, AL. They went on to work on staff appointments in Maryland-West Virginia and Arkansas-Oklahoma divisions.
Their final appointment lasted 18 years in the Southern Territorial Supplies & Purchasing Department. While at Territorial Headquarters, Colonel Lois was active in Community Care ministry, Sunday school leadership, and Bible classes at The Salvation Army’s Atlanta Adult Rehabilitation Center.
Lt. Colonel Lois Ellis is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lt. Colonel Houston Ellis; and daughters Catherine Grace Ellis and Nancy Ellis Neylon; and all but one of her siblings.
She is survived by her sister, Ruth Pittman; and sons David (Kathy) Ellis and Lt. Colonel Stephen (Susan) Ellis. She also leaves four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.