Jack W. Ellis

US ARMY VETERAN

Jack W. Ellis

On March 16, 1948, Jack Ellis was born in Danville, IL.  He was the second son born to John and Esther Ellis.  With many friends and family around, John and Esther lived a simple life while working hard to support their family that eventually welcomed a third son.  Jack, with his two brothers, Terry and Steve, and several cousins by his side would play baseball, and run around the neighborhood together.  As Jack got older he proved to be a smart, driven young man from the get go.  He attended Danville High School and eventually went on to college. In 1970, Jack graduated from Sothern Illinois University with a B.A. in Psychology.   After he graduated, he enlisted in the Army and continued education in Albuquerque, NM and acquired his B.S. in Business. Later in life one of his favorite little tricks was to spell Albuquerque as fast as an auctioneer!  Jack always had very fond, fun memories from living in Albuquerque and it was one of his favorite topics to reminisce about. Jack then decided to move to Cincinnati and attend Xavier University to get his M.B.A. Little did he know his life was about to change when he sat down next to a beautiful young lady named Linda Stanger.  Jack and Linda started dating and they both knew right away that they were in love.  They dated for about six months and got engaged. Jack and Linda got married in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 1 st , 1974. Jack and Linda honeymooned in Mackinac Island, MI for a few days and settled in West Chester, OH.  In 1977, Jack and Linda welcomed their first son, David William.  The three had a few years together and before they knew it they were welcoming their second son, Eric John in 1980.  Shortly there after, they would welcome their only daughter, Angie in 1982.  Jack accepted a promising job as a regional sales manger with Amerace that was eventually bought by Thomas and Betts. One of Jack’s greatest contributions was when he saw a huge need in the electronic industry and designed a connector that revolutionized the way different electrical circuits were connected in various machines and buildings.  Seemingly small, this little connector changed the way companies built machines and is still manufactured today.

The Ellis family had a very happy life and as the years went on the kids grew while Jack worked hard to provide for his family.  They took several vacations, their family favorite being Hilton Head Island.  Jack eventually decided to buy a boat, another family favorite pastime.  Adventures to Lake Cumberland, the Ohio River, and Lake Erie are just a few trips that stand out as some of the happiest memories of Jack relaxed and fishing or pulling one of the kids on the tube.  Aside from spending time with his children, Jack kept himself busy with do it yourself jobs around the house.  He was always tinkering with his wood shop or helping the kids build their projects for school and extra curricular activities.  Jack always had a quirky sense of humor and was quick to smile and laugh which created a happy loving home for the children to grow up in.  He could often be found listening to Paul Harvey, shouting out answers while watching Jeopardy, listening to oldies, enjoying a Snickers bar, or walking their family dog, Peaches.  He also found great joy in coaching both of his sons’ tee ball and baseball teams.  Jack could also be found every Tuesday and Thursday night at Hy-Crest Swim Club behind the microphone announcing all of the events at Angie’s swim meets. Jack was always very patient and showed unconditional love for his family.  He was a true family man that his wife and children admired and adored.

As the kids got older, Jack and Linda put all three children through college.  Dave graduated from the University of Cincinnati, and both Eric and Angie graduated from Miami University.  Dave moved to Denver, CO and eventually Eric and Angie moved to Chicago, IL.  Though they were empty nesters, they would fill their days working, traveling to visit their children, and spend time with their best friends Joe and Jenny Seta, Greg and Marty Moratschek, and Elliott and Margaret Fishman.

In 2004, Jack was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.  Though devastating news, Jack and Linda decided to take on the disease together and fight and try to find ways to help Jack cope and make him more comfortable.  Jack was able to manage his disease and got joy out of visiting his son Dave in Denver.  In 2008, Jack and Linda welcomed their first grandchild, Sydney Leighton Ellis.  Jack and Linda were beyond thrilled with the news of their first grandchild and tried to visit Dave and Amy, Dave’s wife, in Denver as often as possible.  It wasn’t long before they would welcome more grandchildren, Lilah Mae, Josie Leighton, and Juliet Jean were the apple of their eyes and they would try to see them in Denver and Chicago when they could.

As the years went by, Jack was frustrated with his debilitating disease, but still found the courage and the energy to move to Chicago to be closer to his son and daughter in 2011. Initially, Jack and Linda moved from their home of 30 years to the Lincoln Park area.  They were in a high rise that had a nice view of Lake Michigan.  With their dog Sammy, they made it work and found comfort in being close to their kids again, Eric and his wife Kelly, and Angie and her husband Rob.  During this time Jack had a few falls and ended up breaking his elbow.  At this point Jack seemed to be detecting that there was a difference in his day-to-day life, and as they searched for an answer and found out that Jack had a close sister disease to Parkinson’s, Multiple Systems Atrophy.  Once they figured this out, Jack and Linda were able to better treat Jack’s symptoms, and with much strength and determination, Linda cared for Jack with such intensity, that Jack continued to live a fairly normal life. As the years went on Jack and Linda welcomed grandbaby after grandbaby; Violet Mary, Gabrielle Sue, Penelope Jo, and Luke David, and were in pure heaven holding their bundles of joy.   In total Jack welcomed seven granddaughters and finally, one grandson to carry on the Ellis name.  Jack and Linda eventually moved from the city of Chicago, to Naperville, a suburb of Chicago.  They found their new home refreshing and enjoyed meeting new neighbors and spending time with their kids and grandkids.  Jack would still be quick to smile, even though he was deteriorating rapidly.  Jack was becoming more and more confused and Linda needed more and more support to help care for Jack.  One night, after a fun time at the clubhouse listening to a concert, Jack did something he had never done before, he wandered outside in freezing temperatures and wasn’t found until early morning nearly frozen.  Beating all odds, Jack recovered and was able to move to a nursing home nearby.  Unfortunately, about six weeks later, Jack encountered serious complications to his brain that he was not able to recover from.  Jack died at the age of 67 on leap day, February 29 th , 2016.  Jack will be sorely missed, but his family and friends will always remember his contagious laugh, his gentle and easygoing nature, his intelligent thoughts, and his warm hugs.  Jack’s three kids and grandchildren will strive to make their dad and papa proud by doing as he would have done; love unconditionally, work hard, have fun, forgive, be kind, and most of all, believe.

A Visitation will be held Thursday, March 3, 2016 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm at Mueller Funeral Home, 6791 Tylersville Road, Mason, OH 45040.  There will be a Prayer Service at 6:00 pm on Thursday at the Funeral Home.  A Graveside Service will be held Saturday, March 5, 2016 at Catholic Cemetery in Fort Wayne, IN at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to: https://www.michaeljfox.org/tribute/tribute-page.php?id=19281