B. Ellis de Treville Jr., 88, died June 14th, 2011. Born in Savannah, Georgia, on September 6th, 1922, his parents were B. Ellis de Treville Sr. of Beaufort, S.C. and Ruth Claghorn Saffold de Treville formerly of Savannah. At that time, there was no hospital in Beaufort, and Ruth was heard to say, “”my baby is going to be born in a hospital!””. So they took the ferry to Savannah and there the grand event took place. Ellis was baptized at St. Helena’s Episcopal Church and later was a choir boy in the first vested Children’s’ Choir there, established and directed by Mrs. Ruth Saffold de Treville. He attended Beaufort schools and then when his father joined some of his brothers in a brokerage house near Wall Street, Ellis attended St. Agnes’ Chapel School in New York City. After graduation, he returned to S.C. and attended and graduated from the Carlisle Military School, Bamberg, SC. He graduated from the Citadel with a Civil Engineering degree in 1948, worked briefly for the Army Corps of Engineers, married Mary Rockwood Beach (now deceased) of Atlanta, Georgia, in 1949 and together they produced four sons: Thomas Bradford de Treville (now deceased), Major Robert Ellis de Treville, USA (RET), Ralph Louis de Treville, and David Beach de Treville. After working as a sales engineer for General Electric and moving his family around the country a number of times for assignments, he returned to Beaufort for good in 1959 and opened up a boat and motor shop on Boundary Street. Later, he purchased the land next to the Lady’s Island Marina and established a series of businesses to include boat, motor, and trailer sales and service (The Sports Center), Beaufort’s first Honda Motorcycle dealership, and an EconoCar franchise among other various businesses. He truly was an entrepreneur of entrepreneurs. He taught mathematics at St. Helena Island Junior High School, while obtaining his Masters of Science degrees in Mathematics and Engineering at the Citadel. He took and passed the Professional Engineering exam and designed and built The Carteret School, for which he was the first headmaster. Ellis was a member of the St. Helena’s Church Choir and an active member of the Beaufort Little Theater, playing such roles as Colonel Mortimer Sherwood in “”The Pursuit of Happiness””, Mr. Laurence in the production of “”Little Women””, and “”Big Jule”” in the production of “”Guys and Dolls””, among others. As Professional Engineer, B. Ellis de Treville was very prolific in his activities in support of new developments and helping Beaufort grow smartly. He laid out and did the engineering design for the developments at Harbor Island and the Marina and housing location at the end of the McTeer Bridge, among many more. He helped establish the Beaufort County Republican Party and ran for County Council. B. Ellis de Treville Jr. is survived by his wife Toye Blocker de Treville, his sons Robert, Ralph and David, his grandchildren Annie de Treville Wheeler, Thomas Robert Saffold de Treville, Aleshia Elaine de Treville, his great-grandchildren Caylin Elora Wheeler, his sister Ruth de Treville Spieler, and his brother Colonel Robert Treat Paine de Treville , M.D., USAF (RET). B. Ellis de Treville Jr., a true Southern Gentleman, was kind, friendly and respectful of everyone. He has passed his legacy and his model of behavior on to the next generation. His Funeral service will begin at 11 AM on Monday, June 20th inside St. Helena’s Episcopal Church, followed by a graveside internment, then a reception in the Parish Hall. Expressions in his honor may be made to St. Helena’s Mission and Outreach Program, or Hospice Care of the Lowcountry. Tags: 1944
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