Sara Hazel Ellis

Sara Hazel Ellis, age 90, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2026, in Bakersfield, California.

A Service of Witness to the Resurrection celebrating Sara's life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at Chesterfield Presbyterian Church, officiated by the Reverend Kyle Henderson.

The family will receive friends during a reception in the church fellowship hall immediately following the service. An inurnment service will then be held in Chesterfield Cemetery.

Born on May 21, 1936, in Chesterfield, South Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Richard Marion Ellis and Bessie Pusser Ellis. Hazel spent her formative years in South Carolina, graduating from Chesterfield High School in 1954. She pursued higher education at Agnes Scott College, where she earned her degree in Spanish in 1958. Agnes Scott College presented Hazel Ellis with the Outstanding Alumna Award in 2008. She also earned a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from California State University, Bakersfield.

Following her graduation, Hazel moved to Bakersfield, California, where she first taught Spanish and later counseled students in Kern County, CA middle and high schools, earning several awards. She dedicated her life to her work and community there for over 68 years. Known as a "cornerstone" of her family, she was deeply loved by her many nieces and nephews. Hazel also held a profound interest in her heritage, spending years meticulously compiling the history of the Pusser and Ellis families.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Robert Marion Ellis and Carl Whitley Ellis, her sister Marion Ruth Ellis Hunley, and her friend and housemate Mary Louisa Daniel.

Hazel is survived by her sister, Rachel Ann Ellis Early, who is married to Dick Early, and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, extended family members and neighbors who will remember her for her graciousness and devotion. Hazel had many lifelong friends from over 70 years including her friends from her beloved Agnes Scott College and her Philanthropic Educational Organization. Hazel will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer's Foundation, the Bakersfield Chapter of Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.), or Chesterfield Presbyterian Church.

Miller-Rivers-Caulder Funeral Home of Chesterfield, SC is serving the Ellis family.