Jeannie E. Ludwick

Jeannie Brown-Ellis Ludwick passed away Saturday, September 30, 2023 surrounded by her family, in the care of Scott & White Hospice after a years-long courageous battle with cancer. Mrs. Ludwick was born July 20, 1946 in San Saba, Texas, the daughter of Clinton F. and Dorothy (Kelly) Brown. She graduated from San Saba High School and joined Hill Country Community Action Association some years after graduation. She rose to the position of Program Director of the Family Planning Division of HCCAA alongside close friend and associate Tama Shaw. Together they served 11 Texas counties with great passion and energy from 1973 until 1984. Their friendship endured decades. In those HCCAA years Jeannie was a member of the San Saba Pierian Study Club. She was also a proud member of the San Saba Dilloettes Alumni Association up to the time of her passing and was elated at the modern improvements to the San Saba Independent School District facilities made in recent years.

She married Jeff Ludwick on January 1, 1982 at the family ranch in San Saba. They were married by close friend and Bell County District Judge Bill Bachus who agreed to perform the ceremony only if it could take place between the Cotton Bowl and Rose Bowl football games. Jeannie agreed and Bill and wife Sheron made the two hour trip to San Saba and that New Year’s Day was a day of great happiness for all in attendance and the beginning of a wonderful journey for Jeannie and Jeff and their family. In 1984 she retired from HCCAA and joined her husband in his accounting practice as collator and office manager. It was there that she would meet and work with Pat Johle and Ann Headley, two women who would remain dear friends until the day of her passing. It was also soon after their marriage that Jeannie and Jeff were destined to meet Vernon and Lana Farmer at a small spring get-together of friends. Their friendship was a marriage of friends made in heaven. Until Jeannie’s last breath Lana was her closest friend and until her health declined they were still known to visit on the phone like school girls for hours on end. Lana and Jeannie seemed to breathe energy into each other and they knew every facet of each other’s families and lives. Over the years there also came a bond of friendship with Mike & Fay Horton and the three couples enjoyed many happy times.

Jeff’s firm merged with the accounting firm Wade Matthews & Associates on August 16, 1989 and again Jeannie was to meet even more special people in her life. After the merger she was blessed with new friendships with Wade, Rebekah and Natalie Matthews, Andy Montgomery, Nancy Follender, Holly Hernandez, Monica Haudek, Amanda Salazar, Shelly Kohl, Vicky Schiller, Leona Brewer, Stacie Fetterman and many more. She treated every staff member at the accounting firm as if they were the only person on the planet and loved to come by and visit with them and hear about their families long after she retired.

Jeannie retired completely at the end of 1991 to become a full-time grandmother to her beloved granddaughter Brittany Ellis. It was then that she gave up all her office titles and her new title changed to “Mimi” and the happiest years of her life were about to begin. But even after retirement she was to gain a few more friends. The accounting firm grew and grew and became Ludwick, Montgomery and Stapp, P.C. And Jeannie was able to meet Blake and Misty Stapp before failing health. And even though she did not have the opportunity to work beside them, she was blessed with knowing Lesa Jaramillo and Monica Harris, both of whom cradled both husband Jeff and granddaughter Brittany with support and assistance at the office, especially during the years after her diagnosis.

Jeannie’s life began and ended with family. Her family was the most important thing to her and she was always proud to proclaim that. She disdained travel, being not fond of flying, hotels or being away from her home. More than once she was known to say she would rather spend one hour with her family than be on a paid cruise. Jeannie loved spending time in her rose garden at the ranch in San Saba and in her small home in Belfalls near Troy. She loved watching all forms of wildlife, especially wild birds such as wrens, finches, painted buntings, chaparrals, and her favorites, Cardinals. It was with great anticipation that she watched for the return of her beloved hummingbirds each spring. Her daughter-in-law Sonya Ellis always made sure there was plentiful bird seed out for the birds. She loved sitting on her back porch when Sonya’s mother, Frances Hibler, would make a weekend visit to her home. They would have cup after cup of coffee and talk for hours about all things under the sun, but mostly their families.

Jeannie Ludwick was preceded in death by infant son Lance Alan Ellis, her parents, brother Clinton “Bubba” Brown and sister-in-law Queena Brown. Survivors include her husband, Jeff Ludwick, one son Brad Ellis and wife Sonya Ellis of Belfalls (Troy), one brother Phillip Wayne Brown and wife Andrea of Temple, and one granddaughter, Brittany Ellis Clark and husband Brandon of Belfalls (Troy), sister-in-law Lucy Greenway and husband Randy of Belton, brother-in-law John Ludwick and wife Robyn of Wimberley and numerous loving nephews and nieces. Jeannie was always so proud to tell people that her daughter-in-law Sonya was always the daughter that she never had. And when Brittany and Brandon wed on a Christmas Eve afternoon she was quick to exclaim “What a wonderful Christmas present! I finally have a grandson!”

As Jeannie expressed her last wishes she requested no visitation or formal service. Instead she wished for anyone reading this to spend that amount of time with family, take a friend to lunch, watch a beautiful sunset or just reflect on happy times of your life by taking some quiet time for yourself.

Memorials may be made to The Cherokee Home for Children, P.O. Box 295, Cherokee, Texas 76832, Ronald McDonald House of Temple, 2415 S. 47 th Street, Temple, 76504, or the San Saba Cemetery Association, 1501 W. Commerce Street, San Saba, Texas, 76877.

“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.” --Rabindranath Tagore