Ellis Deibler

Ellis W. Deibler, Jr. was born in Orange, N.J. on March 13, 1930 to Ellis and Martha Deibler and departed this life in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on March 20, 2020 at the age of 90. He graduated from Columbia University in 1951 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and then went to Fuller Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1954 with B.Div. He served as Assistant Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Trenton, MI for three years. He joined Wycliffe Bible Translators, under whom he served for more than 60 years.

Ellis and his wife Katherine (Rensink) went to Papua New Guinea, and they translated the New Testament into two previously unwritten languages, and eventually did revisions of both of those. They were blessed with five children; John, Anne, Marilyn, Ruth, and Christine. He completed studies for a PhD in Linguistics at the University of Michigan in 1973. After 20 years in PNG, they went to Dallas, where he taught the course in Principles of Translations for nine years at the International Linguistics Center. They then moved to the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, NC where he spent most of his time working on helps for translators. During those years, Ellis made many trips overseas to check Bible translations. He has checked portions of Scripture in 16 countries. Katherine died in 2001 after almost fifty years of marriage. He married Martha King in 2004.Together they made many more trips to check Bible Translations.

They moved to Go Ye Village in 2015.

Ellis completed new translations from the Greek and Hebrew of the whole Bible. One is for translators, called the Translation for Translators. One is for the general public, called a Translator's Translation.

Ellis has completed scholarly studies of three New Testament books- Romans, Hebrews, and Mark. They are all called Semantic and Structural Analyses.

Ellis has always been an avid vegetable gardener and stamp collector.

Ellis is survived by his wife; Martha, five children;John and Mary (Leenheer), Anne and Robert Jackson, Marilyn and John Rottman, Ruth and Peter Smith, Christine and Doug Dorn, 18 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren, a sister; Doris Weis as well as numerous extended family members

In lieu of flowers, he would prefer donations may be made to Wycliffe Bible Translators to encourage Bible Translation. Or donations can be made to RUN Ministries.

A memorial service as yet to be arranged.