Dr. Robert "Bob" Ellington, Sr.

BURLINGTON- Dr. Robert Norwood “Bob” Ellington passed away peacefully on September 20, 2019 at his home after a long and well fought battle against Parkinson’s Disease.

Born on June 28, 1932 to Dr. Amzi Jefferson Ellington and Ruth Norwood Ellington, Bob attended the Burlington City Schools and graduated valedictorian and student body president of the last senior class at Burlington High School in 1950.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill he majored in chemistry, enjoyed the Sigma Chi brotherhood and achieved Phi Beta Kappa. In pursuit of a medical degree, Bob entered Duke Medical School and graduated with honors in 1957. He interned at the Medical College of Virginia for one year and returned to Duke for a five year residency (1958-1963) in Obstetrics and Gynecology under Dr. Bayard Carter.

Bob met Helen McCrary Arendell at Duke in the Spring of 1958 and married her in December at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh. In 1963 they moved to Burlington where he and brother Dr. A.J. Ellington, Jr. (deceased 2017) established the Alamance Clinic for Women. They practiced their specialty together for eighteen years. His affiliations with medical groups included the Alamance Caswell Medical Society, the North Carolina Medical Society, the American Medical Society, the American Society of Ob/Gyn, the Bayard Carter Ob/Gyn Society, and The Davison Club.

Bob was appointed Medical Director at Elon College/University and served faculty, staff and students as staff physician until his retirement. The R.N. Ellington Health and Counseling Center was named in his honor in 2001. He received the Elon Medallion. During this time he also served as Medical Director of LabCorp, serving the many employees who lived and worked in the Burlington community.

Known affectionately as “Dr. Bob”, he enjoyed mentoring young people. He initiated and hosted (in 1972 and subsequent years) a golf tournament for young area golfers, served as team physician to many of Tommy Cole’s basketball teams, advised the young men of Elon’s Sigma Chi chapter and contributed to scholarships for deserving students. He collected and was keenly interested in gems, cars old and new, guns and coins. Bob supported UNC athletics for many years. He enjoyed golf, planning family trips and attending Williams High School games involving his children, grandchildren and their friends. In later years Bob cherished lunch dates with ROMEOS and interludes with friends at Raygo.

Dr. Bob Ellington lived life and practiced medicine the same way – showing love, respect, professionalism, humor, and care to everyone he encountered. He was quietly generous to many people in many ways and was more excited for others’ successes than his own.

Surviving him besides his wife Helen are Anne Ellington Powell and Dr. James Bobbitt (Jim) Powell of Burlington, Robert Norwood (Bobby) Ellington, Jr. and Alison Westmoreland Ellington of Greensboro, Dr. Kenneth Scott Ellington and Linda Imboden Ellington of Burlington and Ruth Ellington Haines of Burlington. His six grandchildren are: John Banks Powell, New York City, James Rosser (Ross) Powell and Dr. Helen Bobbitt Powell of Chapel Hill; Kenneth Scott Ellington, Jr. and John Sheehan (Jack) Ellington of Dallas, and George Robert Ellington of Chapel Hill. Bob is also survived by one niece and seven nephews.

The family profoundly thanks Dr. Bob’s assistants Kevon Morrow, Della Nickerson, Lacy Matkins, Sharon McBroom and Kelsie Williams for enabling Bob to live at home and to actively participate in his community until his passing.

A service of celebration will be held at Front Street United Methodist Church on September 29 at 2:00 pm. Visitation at the church will follow.

Memorials may be made to Elon University (the Ellington Scholarship), 2600 Campus Box, Elon NC 27244; Front Street United Methodist Church, PO Box 2597, Burlington NC 27216 or Hospice of Alamance Caswell, 914 Chapel Hill Road, Burlington NC 27215.

You may sign the online register book at www.lowefuneralhome.com.