Ellis Koury, well-known as the mayor of Washington Street, died Sunday, May 24, 2009, at River Region Medical Center. He was 93.

“He wore that title proudly,” said Frances Koury, his wife and partner in their downtown business. “It was a fun honor for him and it suited him.”

For more than 50 years the Kourys operated Koury’s Children Shop, at 1216 Washington. Next door was Frederick’s Shoes, owned by his sister Emma Lee and her husband, now by Koury’s niece, Norma Massey.

All the children in the family grew up working and spending time together in the stores, Massey said. “We will all be lost without him. He was the patriarch of the family.”

Friends and family remembered Koury as a man with a great sense of humor who loved to tease people. He had a long list of jokes, Hosemann and Massey said.

“He’s probably on every e-mail list in town,” Hosemann said. “During his life he went all the way from traveling gravel roads to surfing the Internet.”

Koury got his nickname during his walks up and down what was the city’s main commercial street, visiting with owners of the many other family businesses. He visited with people on the sidewalks, shaking hands, complimenting mothers on how much their children had grown and drinking coffee on the steps of the bank.

“He would go to the bank and be gone for two hours,” Hosemann laughed.

Thursday he entered the hospital with respiratory problems, and had dealt with several medical issues over the past year but was upbeat and lively.

“His mind was so alert, and he had so much life in him,” said his daughter, Connie Hosemann. “We are so glad he didn’t suffer.”

He had celebrated a grandson’s graduation from high school just a few days before, laughing, enjoying his family and decked out in luau gear, his family said.

“He never met a stranger — you were always included as a friend,” Frances Koury echoed. “He loved his church, his children and his community.”

A member of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Ellis Koury was a member of the Lions Club and for many years served as member and chairman of the Civil Service Commission. During difficult times he made decisions with dignity and grace, Frances Koury said.

Ellis Koury was the son of Lebanese immigrants. His father, Alex, came to Vicksburg in the early years of the 20th century and sold goods to families in the Delta out of a backpack. Eventually, Alex Koury opened a store on Openwood Street and later moved to Washington.

Ellis Koury was a member of the first graduating class of Carr Central High School in 1933 and a veteran of World War II, serving in the Pacific on New Guinea and other locations.

He had wanted to become a doctor, Frances Koury said, “but the Depression years didn’t afford him that opportunity.” He touched many lives through his work in Vicksburg, she said, and was well loved and respected.

Ellis and Frances Koury closed their store in 1997.

He and Frances celebrated their 63rd anniversary on May 12.

In addition to Hosemann, Koury’s family includes another daughter, Kate Knudsen of San Francisco, and a son, Ellis Glenn Koury of Dallas; two sisters, Pauline K. Nasif and Dolores K. Nosser, both of Vicksburg, as a well as five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

He was predeceased by an infant son, Michael Koury, and a sister, Emma Lee K. Najour.

Services will be Friday at 11 a.m. at St. George, with Trisagion Prayers at 8 p.m. Thursday at Riles Funeral Home. Visiting hours will be Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to the hour of service at St. George.

Memorials can be made to St. George Orthodox Church, the Lions Sight Foundation of Mississippi and The Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital of Jackson.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com