Lieutenant Colonel James Ellis

September 25, 1929 – October 30, 2025

Lt/Col James Ellis, USAF (Ret.), left this earth on October 30, 2025 and went home to be with his Lord.

He was born September 25, 1929, in Meridian, Mississippi, to Nilon and Ella Ellis. During the Great Depression his parents were sharecroppers and life was indeed bleak. Somehow his parents rose above the Great Depression and survived.

His family moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 1941 and he graduated from Phillips High School in 1947.

He joined the United States Air Force in 1951 and with only a high school education was selected in 1953 for pilot training in the Aviation Cadet Program. He completed pilot training with honors in 1954 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He flew single-engine single-seat jet fighters for 20 years and loved his work. He often said he would have flown fighters for nothing, if the Air Force would let him. He loved his country and was a decorated and true patriotic American. He had two tours in Vietnam: (1) As a forward air controller flying the L-19 out of Da Nang in 1962 and (2) Flying the F-100 out of Phan Rang in 1968.

He married Shirley Rexford in 1959 and she followed him during his many moves for the rest of his career. They had no children.

Retiring in 1972 they moved back to Alabama where he pursued his passion of hunting southern bobwhite quail and fishing for largemouth black bass. In 1997 they moved to Sequim and four years later Shirley passed away from breast cancer. It was then that he became active in both playing and instructing bridge. He was also a diehard Cubs and Redskins fan.

He had been a member of Liberty Baptist Church in Sumter County, Alabama since 1941. In Sequim he attended Faith Baptist Church.

Graveside services will be held on December 2, 2025 at 1:00pm at Sequim View Cemetery, with Rev. Lonnie Jacobson officiating, assisted by Joanne Meinzen.