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Larry "Shorty" Ellison, age 79 of Dickinson, ND; formerly of Lemmon, SD; passed away on Monday, April 20, 2020 at St. Luke's Nursing Home in Dickinson, ND.

Larry Duane Ellison "Shorty" was born in Elgin, ND on Flag Day, June 14, 1940 to Carl Edward and Ora (Dokken) Ellison.  He was the youngest and shortest of four sons, earning him the nickname "Shorty" despite being nearly six feet tall.  He attended rural country schools and was raised on the family farm near Thunder Hawk, SD.  He graduated from Lemmon High School with the Class of 1958 and began to fulfill his dream of farming and ranching by purchasing land with the help of his parents.

He attended Western College of Auctioneering in Billings, MT and drilled water wells with Bill Main.  Shorty was united in marriage to Connie Buer on February 3, 1967 in Rapid City, SD.  They made their home in Lemmon and raised a daughter Tami, born in 1970, and a son Travis, born in 1972.  Shorty purchased his own well drilling rig and operated Ellison Well Drilling in North Dakota and South Dakota for over 30 years.  He had several hired hands, but his favorites where his wife and son.  In 1996, Shorty and Connie moved to the family farm on the Cedar River, his favorite place on earth.  He enjoyed daily drives at the farm checking on his crops and cattle.  He also enjoyed visiting with his brothers and neighbors on the country roads.  He instilled his love of the land he farmed for over 60 years with his children and grandchildren.

He was a lifelong member of Calvary Lutheran Church.  He and Connie were recipients of the Grant County Soil Conservation Award in 2014.

Shorty will be remembered for his smile, kind spirit, love of family (especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren), deep faith in God and his close bond with his brothers.

He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in June 2019.  Although he endured many struggles due to the disease, he always remembered his family who will miss him every day.

He is survived by his wife Connie of 53 years, daughter, Tami (Ryan) Conrad of Bismarck, ND; son, Travis (Carol) Ellison, Dickinson, ND; grandchildren, Trevor (Sadie) Conrad, Taylor Conrad, Amber Ellison, Jake Ellison, and Chance Ellison; and great grandchildren, Carter and Cael Conrad; brothers, Mitchel (Edna) Ellison, Darrel Ellison, Dean (Lila) Ellison, all of Lemmon, SD; brother-in-law, John (Dixie) Buer, Meadow, SD; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Shorty is preceded in death by his parents, Ed and Ora Ellison, in-laws, Harold and Judy Buer, brother-in-law Dennis Buer, sisters-in-law, Toots Ellison and LaNae Ellison, nephew, Gary Ellison and niece, Denise Buer.

Serving as Honorary Casketbearers are Delbert Krause, Vern Goeres, Bob Wallace, Calvin Ericsson, Gary Ericsson, and Jake Miller.

The Funeral Service will be held 10:30am MT Friday, April 24, 2020 at the Prince of Peace Chapel of the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon with Pastor T.J. Shockley officiating.  Burial will be in Greenhill Cemetery at Lemmon.

The Funeral Service will be live streamed through our website and links will be made available through Shorty's obituary.  Live streaming will begin 10 minutes prior to the start of the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the Alzheimer's Association or Calvary Lutheran Church in Lemmon.  Condolences may be sent to the family at www.evansonjensenfuneralhome.com or mailed to Connie Ellison, 1266 Signal Butte, Unit #77, Dickinson, ND 58601.