A memorial to the man known as Willie Ellis, 69, now stands at the site where he spent decades affectionately greeting passerby and hawking an eclectic mix of well-priced odds-and-ends along the la…
The vendor’s blanket is still there – laid out on the sidewalk outside Lake Merritt’s pergola, just like it has been for decades. It’s still covered in various wares and trinkets: Plants, figurines, a book on self-realization and a VHS copy of “A Beautiful Mind.”
On Sunday, nearly 100 people gathered at that same pergola to burn incense and air memories of a man who became one of the city’s craftiest businessmen and an institution at Oakland’s famed lake. OAKLAND, CA – JULY 24: Anna Gunn, left, speaks about her friend Willie Ellis during a memorial service at Lake Merritt on Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Oakland, Calif. Ellis, 69, was homeless and sold various odds-and-ends, including shoes, clothes, electronic accessories, sunglasses, jewelry and anything else he could find at Lake Merritt.
“It wasn’t going to come to him if he didn’t go out and get it,” said Leo Hawkins, a frequent visitor to the lake who knew Willie for years. “Rain or shine, cold or hot, it didn’t bother him. That carried ’til the day he died.”OAKLAND, CA – JULY 24: Bridget Waluch, right, takes a picture of a memorial display for Willie Ellis during a remembrance celebration at Lake Merritt on Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Oakland, Calif.
A reporter with this news organization tracked him down at a San Leandro hospital, where he had been recovering from a brutal robbery that nearly killed him. Two men jumped Willie as he rode his bicycle on Fifth Avenue near the lake — beating and choking him while stealing his bike, laptop, cellphone and Golden State Warriors jacket.