William Ellis

December 28, 1942 - January 18, 2023

Dr. William Ellis unexpectedly left this earth on January 18, 2023, doing what he loved the most: flying his airplane. He was a man who loved adventure, taking up flying in his 50s. He also loved downhill skiing, whitewater rafting as well as golf, often taking his two sons, William Benson Ellis and Charles Edward Ellis with him.

William, called Bill by his friends and family, was born on December 28, 1942, in the Bronx borough of New York City to Benson Abraham Ellis (Epstein), a then-NYC fireman and policeman, and Pauline (Pearl) Fishman-Ellis. When Bill was 13, his family moved to the Bay Area where his father became a community college biology teacher.

During his 80 years on earth, he spent more than 50 years as an ophthalmologist.

Dr. William Ellis, M.D., F.A.C.S. dedicated his career to bringing innovative surgical techniques to the restoration of vision. He began his career by studying electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He then attended medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, receiving his Doctorate of Medicine. Dr. Ellis completed a surgical internship at Duke University and residency at Stanford University Medical Center in the Department of Ophthalmology. He was then Board Certified in general ophthalmology by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He was also certified as a sub-specialist in cataract, intraocular lens implantation, and refractive surgery by the American Board of Eye Surgery.

Dr. Ellis was a leader and innovator in the field of refractive surgery. He studied radial keratotomy surgery with Professor Svyatslov Fyodorov in the Soviet Union. Dr. Ellis wrote three textbooks on Keratoplasty surgeries, which are in medical libraries around the world. Professor Fyodorov, who pioneered modern radial keratotomy, is a coauthor of his last textbook.

He is survived by his sons, Willian Benson Ellis and Charles Edward (Annie) Ellis, along with grandchildren Rose Ellis and Axel Ellis. Bill, Dad, and Grandpa Bill will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and professional colleagues.