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PAUL ELLERBEE stood out from the crowd. It was not only his size - 6-foot-1 and more than 250 pounds - but his style and his personality. Ellerbee had a sense of style in the clothing he wore, always cutting edge, and the way he carried himself, and his personality was shaped by the brilliance of his mind and his zest for life.
Even in the final months of his life, suffering from diabetes and cancer, he didn't lose his passion for living.
"He liked to have a good time," said his son, Jerome Ellerbee 3rd. "He was aware that he didn't have a lot of time here, but he made the best of it."
Paul Ellerbee, Philadelphia corrections officer for 25 years, a "tax guru" with an amazing grasp of the tax laws, a man of firm opinions fueled by a vast knowledge of the world, died Monday. He was 61 and lived in West Philadelphia.
"He was very smart and articulate," his son said. "His trademark was he did things his way. He commanded respect; he would not accept anything else."
Ellerbee was born in Philadelphia to Emma and Jerome Ellerbee. He was a standout pole vaulter and fencer at Central High School, making all-Public League in both sports.
He also lettered in other sports there. "He was very physically gifted," his son said. Also a brilliant student, Ellerbee won an academic scholarship to Temple University, but attended only for a couple of years. He joined the Department of Corrections and worked at various prisons over the years. His last assignment was at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Institution before he retired a few years ago.
His family was marked by tragedy. A brother, Morris, was killed in an accident while serving in the Marines in Hawaii in 1969. Another brother, William, also a Marine, was wounded in Vietnam in 1968, and the same year, brother David, a Philadelphia police officer, was accidentally shot and killed.
William Ellerbee is the retired basketball coach at Gratz High School and now an assistant coach at Temple.
Paul Ellerbee, who was a "whiz at math," mastered the complex tax laws to the extent that he could recite them off the top of his head, his son said. "He was a kind of tax guru," Jerome said. "He knew the tax laws forward and back. He could get things back for folks when it appeared there was nothing to get." He worked for a time for H&R Block, but did tax work mostly on his own. He helped his fellow correction officers and others who worked for the department with their returns. "He was a giving kind of guy," his son said. "He knew a lot about a lot of things. Word got around that my father could be counted on for a plausible answer to all kinds of unusual questions." "Those who didn't know him, came away impressed with his physical characteristics," Jerome said. "Those who knew him were impressed by the fact that he was a very intelligent, worldly individual."
"He was easygoing, but quick to get very heated. He could discuss politics, what was going on in European countries, South America, the financial markets."
"When people tell me I'm as smart as my father, I say, 'Not even close.'"
"He had a flair for fine clothing," Jerome said. "He wore suits that most men would not wear, worried about what people would say. He had no such problem." "He was big, bold and brash. He stood out from the rest of the crowd." Ellerbee was raised in the Christlike P.G. Faith Baptist Church in North Philadelphia.
Besides his son and brother, he is survived by his wife of 18 years, the former Tia Robinson; another son, Paul Ellerbee Jr.; a daughter, Michelle Ellerbee; two stepsons, Tyrone L. Robinson and Terrence Robinson; two sisters, Caroline Parker and Elaine Kemp, and seven grandchildren.
Services: 11 a.m. Saturday at the National Temple Church of the Living God, 58th and Thompson streets. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Merion Memorial Park, Bala-Cynwyd.
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George Alliger
Sorry to have just found the loss of Paul. As a Central classmate I always remember getting a broad, friendly smile and hello whenever we encountered each other in school. Nice to have known his acqaintence and that he lived a fine life.
Theodore J. Ellis
Paul and I were good buddies His last name Ellerbee and my last name Ellis meant that we traveled to class together, sat next to one another and goofed off alot together. Paul was a good guy and good friend. Sorry he's no longer with us.
Ted Ellis
Henry Carnage
Classmate , teammate and friend !