We regret to advise of the death of Sapper Ralph Ellis (Ret'd) of Hawkesbury, ON on 5 August 2017 at the age of 94 years.

Ralph was born in Montreal, QC. He was a Royal Canadian Engineer veteran of the Second World War who enlisted in 1941 at the age of 18. He completed his basic training at Huntington QC and advanced sapper training in Camp Petawawa ON at A5 Canadian Engineer Training Centre. Ralph arrived in the United Kingdom in late 1943 and soon found himself deployiing to Italy with the 1^st Field Squadron, 5^th Canadian Armoured Division. He was with the squadron as they fought through the Liri Valley, the Gothic Line, the Battle of the Rivers, and all points inbetween. In February 1945, the squadron was moved by landing craft from Italy through Marseilles in France where they boarded railway cars destined for Holland. Ralph was posted to Brigade HQ and served as the Brigadier's driver until the end of the war. The war ended, but Ralph contracted diphtheria and was hospitalized first in Germany, Belgium and finally in Aldershot in England before returning home.

Friends may call at the Berthiaume Family Funeral Home in Hawkesbury on Saturday 12 August 2017. A celebration will follow in the funeral home Chapel. For those who wish, donations to the Ottawa Heart Institute would be appreciated.