Samuel Joseph Ellis, 75, of Dade City, passed away May 13, 2016 in Temple Terrace, FL. He was born to Samuel Wilfred and Frances Josephine Woods Ellis February 11, 1941 in Youngstown, OH, and raised in Birmingham (Ensley), AL. Sam had passion for baseball, playing at Mississippi State, where he was inducted in 2012 into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame. He went on to pitch in the Majors for nine seasons notably with the Cincinnati Reds in 1965 when he went 22-10 and made the All-Star team. He found his true calling as a pitching coach, mentoring and investing in younger players for more than 25 years in the Yankees, White Sox, Mariners, Cubs, Red Sox, Orioles and Reds organizations. He was an avid golfer for more than 50 years as a member of Temple Terrace and later Lake Jovita, where he lived his last 15 years also enjoying family, travel, photography, and good friends. He is survived by his wife: Lynn Ellis; two children, Tammy and Jim Parker, Boca Raton, FL; J. Boe and Connie Ellis, Tampa, FL; two sisters: Joyce Williams, Genevieve Harris; 10 grandchildren: Tyler, Brandon, David, Carson, Casey, Cara, Carter, Catie, Cameron, Carly; and great-grandson, Chase. A Memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, May 19, 2016 at the Hodges Family Funeral Home, 11441 US-301, Dade City, FL 33525. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his memory to First Baptist Church of Tampa, 302 West Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606.