Wellington “Bud” Meyers Ely, 81, passed away peacefully on Oct. 16, 2010, in the comfort of his home.
He was born of William Stewart and Amelia Virginia Snow Ely on Sept. 13, 1929, in Newport, Ky.
Wellington grew up in Versailles, moving to Nicholasville as a freshman in high school. He lettered in baseball, football and basketball, and was a captain of the football team and vice president of his class. Wellington graduated in 1947 from Nicholasville High School.
Wellington went on to college at the University of Kentucky but withdrew to join the United States Air Force. He was stationed in Seoul during the Korean War, earning the rank of staff sergeant. He returned to Bowling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., which is where he met his future wife, Antoinette Barbara DiMillo.
After their first child was born, he wanted to pursue his college degree, and was honorably discharged from the Air Force. He moved to his wife’s hometown of Portland, Maine, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1957 at the University of Maine.
