Remembering Officer Daniel Ellis
Media Information for Visitation and Funeral Service for Officer Daniel Ellis: Web | PDF
View the video of the service at video.eku.edu/danielellis.
Complete audio of the service is available on the WEKU website.
Campus, Community Remember Officer Ellis
Thousands from across Kentucky and beyond are expected to arrive at Eastern Kentucky University’s Alumni Coliseum on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and Wednesday, Nov. 11, to pay their final respects to Daniel Neil Ellis, the Richmond police officer who lost his life in the line of duty last week.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Coliseum, with funeral services at the same site at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Doors will open to the public at 9:30 a.m. General parking will be available in the Alumni Coliseum lot Tuesday, and those attending the visitation should enter the Coliseum through the lower-level entrance on the west side near the water tower.
The general public is welcome to attend the funeral service on Wednesday. Alumni Coliseum seats approximately 7,000, and the EKU Center for the Arts, across the Eastern By-Pass from the Coliseum, will serve as an overflow area, with an additional 2,000 seats. A live video stream will be available at the arts center. General parking on Wednesday will be available at the Center for the Arts, with pedestrian access to the Coliseum. Additional parking will be available at the Brockton Commuter (behind Brockton housing and the Dizney Building), Ashland (off Kit Carson Drive between Roy Kidd Stadium and the Perkins Building), and Fitness and Wellness Center (just north of the stadium) lots, with shuttle service provided from those locations.
Because of the expected large crowds, traffic delays are expected on and around the EKU campus, especially on Wednesday. Except for funeral traffic, the Eastern By-Pass will be closed from Lancaster Avenue to Kit Carson Drive prior to the service and motorists are urged to avoid the area unless attending events at the Coliseum.
The Alumni Coliseum and Whitlock Building lots will remain closed, except to family and first responders, until the funeral procession clears the area sometime Wednesday afternoon. In addition, the Mattox Hall Lot is closed on Wednesday. All EKU classes are canceled from 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10 through 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, but the University will be open on a normal schedule and staff will report as usual. Also, Model Laboratory School will close at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and remain closed through Wednesday.
At the conclusion of the service on Wednesday, a 100-mile-long funeral procession will depart the Coliseum, head east on the Eastern By-Pass, then north onto US 25 (Big Hill Avenue). It will proceed through downtown Richmond before picking up I-75 South at Exit 90. The funeral procession is expected to leave the Coliseum at approximately 12:30 p.m., and citizens are encouraged to line the procession route, which will be closed to vehicular traffic for an undetermined period of time.The procession will continue south along I-75 until Exit 62, after which it will follow KY 461, KY 80 and the Cumberland Parkway until it arrives at the Jamestown exit. From there, it will continue on KY 127 North, KY 70, KY 206 (Liberty Road) and Pellyton East Road in Adair County, where Officer Ellis will be laid to rest.
Any additional information on traffic impact and the processional route and time will be disseminated through the University’s RAVE alert system and linked from the EKU home page and updated as necessary.
Officer Ellis, as well as his wife, Katie Elizabeth Gruenwald Ellis, assistant principal at Madison Central High School, graduated from EKU.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, Funderburk Building, Eastern Kentucky University, 521 Lancaster Ave., Richmond, Kentucky, 40475-3102, or to Supporting Heroes, PO Box 991547, Louisville, Kentucky, 40269-1547.
EKU Traffic Alert Message on November 9, 2015
Funeral services for Richmond Police Officer Daniel Ellis will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. in the Alumni Coliseum. Doors will open to the public at 9:30 a.m.
The Funeral Procession will leave EKU at the end of the service and will proceed to Adair County Kentucky approximately 100 miles away.
EKU Traffic Alert: Expect delays on and around the EKU Richmond Campus on Wednesday. Expect road closures along the following route. It is unknown exactly what time these roads will close.
Procession Route
- Leave Alumni Coliseum
- Turn left on Bypass road Eastbound
- Turn left on Big Hill Ave. U.S. 25 Northbound
- Continue onto Main St. through Richmond, passing Richmond Police Department
- Turn left on Robert Martin Road Bypass/Lexington Road Westbound
- Turn left on I-75 south
- Take Exit 62
- Turn right on KY 461
- Turn right on KY 80 west
- Turn right on KY 914
- Turn right on Cumberland Parkway ramp
- Take Exit 62 Jamestown
- Turn right on KY 127 North
- Turn left on KY 70
- Turn left on KY 206/Liberty Road
- Turn left on Pellyton East Road
Message for EKU Students and Employees
Dear University Community:
Family members and friends, law enforcement officers from across Kentucky and beyond, local and state leaders and many others will arrive on our campus over the next two days to pay their final respects to Richmond Police Officer Daniel Ellis. As you know, Officer Ellis paid the ultimate cost last week in an effort to keep our community safe.
As our campus and community continue to mourn this tragic loss, and as we prepare to host visitation and funeral services for Officer Ellis at Alumni Coliseum and welcome thousands of visitors to our campus, we ask for your patience and understanding. Most of all, we ask that you continue to keep the Ellis family and his friends and fellow officers in your thoughts and prayers.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 2 to 8 p.m., and funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. In order to accommodate visitors, the Alumni Coliseum and Whitlock parking lots will be closed beginning at 2 a.m. Tuesday and remain closed until the procession has cleared the area sometime late Wednesday afternoon. In addition, the Mattox Hall lot will be closed on Wednesday. Alternative parking for employees and students will be available at the Center for the Arts, Perkins and Ashland lots. Shuttle service will be provided from these lots to the Whitlock Building from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Additional information on traffic impact and the processional route will be disseminated through the RAVE alert system and linked from the EKU home page and updated as necessary.
As announced earlier, all EKU classes at all campuses will be canceled beginning at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday and will resume at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. In addition, Model Laboratory School will close at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and remain closed on Wednesday. The University will remain open normal hours Tuesday and Wednesday, and staff are to report as usual.
Officer Ellis, as well as wife, Katie Elizabeth Gruenwald Ellis, assistant principal at Madison Central High School, both graduated from EKU. The campus community is invited to attend the visitation and funeral service.
The Ellis family has expressed its appreciation for the continued support it has received from EKU employees, students and alumni. In the worst of times, we are collectively showing our Colonel best.
The family has requested donations to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, Funderburk Building, Eastern Kentucky University, 521 Lancaster Ave., Richmond, Kentucky, 40475-3102, or to Supporting Heroes, PO Box 991547, Louisville, Kentucky, 40269-1547.
Please join me in expressing our sympathies to the Ellis family in this time of sorrow.
Michael Benson
President
Message on November 6, 2015
Dear University Community:
As our campus and community continue to mourn the tragic loss of Richmond Police Officer Daniel Ellis, Eastern Kentucky University offers its deepest sympathies to the family of Officer Ellis, and his many friends and fellow officers.
Because of the large numbers expected to attend visitation and funeral services for Officer Ellis, including members of the law enforcement community from across Kentucky and beyond, EKU’s Alumni Coliseum will serve as host site for both events. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 2 to 8 p.m., and funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. Oldham, Roberts and Powell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
As a result, all EKU classes at all campuses will be canceled beginning at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday and will resume at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. In addition, Model Laboratory School will close at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and remain closed on Wednesday. The University will remain open normal hours Tuesday and Wednesday, and staff are to report as normal.
Officer Ellis was a member of the EKU family, having earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice here in 2005. Indeed, EKU’s ties to the law enforcement community run deep, and the University thanks all those in public safety for their service, their sacrifice and their commitment to keeping our communities safe.
Officer Ellis’ wife, Katie Elizabeth Gruenwald Ellis, earned degrees from the EKU College of Education and is an assistant principal at Madison Central High School.
The family has requested donations to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, Funderburk Building, Eastern Kentucky University, 521 Lancaster Ave., Richmond, Kentucky, 40475-3102.
I will share more information regarding parking and traffic on and near campus Tuesday and Wednesday as that information becomes available.
Please join me in expressing our sympathies to the Ellis family in this time of sorrow.
Michael Benson
President
Media Information for Visitation and Funeral Service for Officer Daniel Ellis
View the video of the service at video.eku.edu/danielellis
Complete audio of the service is on the WEKU website
Tuesday, November 10
Visitation, 2 to 8 p.m. at EKU Alumni Coliseum
Visitation Media Parking -- News vehicles will be permitted to park with the general public in the Alumni coliseum lot. Large live or satellite trucks have a designated area to the right of the parking lot near the bypass and close to the KSP post.
Media Access -- Neither photos nor recording of video/audio are permitted inside the Alumni Coliseum during the visitation.
Wednesday, November 11
Funeral Service, 11 a.m. at EKU Alumni Coliseum
Funeral Service Media Parking -- No public or media access to the Alumni Coliseum lot on Wednesday before or during the funeral service. Media parking will be provided in the Perkins Building lot, located on Kit Carson Drive. The designated area for live and satellite trucks is the loop of the Perkins lot near the planetarium. Media shuttle service will be provided between Alumni Coliseum and the Perkins lot before and after the funeral.
Directions to Perkins Lot -- From I-75 South, take Richmond Exit 87. Turn left onto Eastern Bypass and drive about 1.25 miles. Turn right onto Kit Carson Drive at Roy Kidd Stadium. The Perkins lot is on the right.
Media Access -- No recording of video or audio is permitted during the funeral service in Alumni Coliseum. Media will have full access for photos/video/audio outside during the processional. A program video feed of the full service will be provided by EKU Video Services for monitoring, recording or live broadcast on air or websites.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION: 1080i Serial Digital output with embedded audio. Stations will need some length, determined by how far they want to extend this signal, of serial digital video cable with BNC connectors and equipment to record or process this signal as they determine to use it. EKU will provide an eight-output SDI distribution amp.
Web Streaming of Service -- The full program video will be streamed online at http://video.eku.edu/danielellis. Media outlets are permitted to embed the video using this code provided by YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POwBPc6uzj4
Print publications are allowed one photographer per outlet in designated area only. *Please notify Kristi Middleton at kristi.middleton@eku.edu no later than 9 a.m. Wednesday if you are sending a print photographer to the service. Photos are limited to the service and speakers; no photos of family or mourners in the audience by request of the Ellis family.
Media work center -- A work center for news media will be open in the Perkins Building from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 11. Video monitors will be available to watch the service. Workstations with Wi-Fi access, power outlets and light refreshments will be available.
Evening live shot parking -- Alumni Coliseum parking is expected to re-open around 4 p.m. News vehicles are permitted to park in the lot, space permitting following the funeral and processional.