Jim Loy Ellis
Marriages
Madge Way - 1957
Raeanna Taylor - 1968
Obituaries
Steamboat Today - December 31, 2011
Jim Ellis died Dec. 23, 2011, at his home in Surprise, Ariz., from a prolonged illness. He was 76.
Jim was born Nov. 5, 1935, in Indianapolis to Hershal and Lucreta (Jones) Ellis. They moved to Winslow, Ariz., in 1947 and to Tucson in 1949, where Jim graduated from Tucson High School. He attended Principia College in Elsah, Ill., and graduated with a degree in geology. After college, he served as a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps. He married his college sweetheart, Madge (Fulbright) Way, in 1957, and they had two sons, James Donald and Jon Everett.
Jim went to work for Santa Fe Drilling and worked as a drilling engineer in California, Texas and Venezuela. He changed careers in 1965 and became a airline pilot for Continental Airlines, for whom he flew military charter flights to Southeast Asia from 1966 to 1973. He retired as a captain in 1984.
In 1968, he married Raeanna (Taylor) Ellis, and they have one daughter, Tevis Dionne (Ellis) Van Treese. They moved from California to Steamboat Springs in 1983. In 1984, he bought The Grubstake restaurant (now the Gondola Pub & Grill) in Steamboat Springs. He developed timing equipment for auto and ski racing, raced the Baja 500 and 1000 off-road races, was a ski instructor, worked on Johnny Rutherford’s race teams on all three of JR’s Indy 500 wins, worked as a timing and scoring official for the Indy Racing League and ran triathlons. To say he was a busy, accomplished man is an understatement. He truly “skidded in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming, ‘Wow, what a ride!’” He has affected the lives of many and will be missed by all who knew him.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and sister, Sandra (Ellis) Edwards.
He leaves behind his wife of 43 years, Raeanna; two sons, Jim and Jon; one daughter, Tevis, and son-in-law Jon Van Treese; two granddaughters, Jamie Paule Ellis and Taylor Rae Van Treese; one grandson, Andrew Jon Van Treese; “adopted son” and business partner Tony Dickson; mother-in-law Anna Taylor; sister and brother-in-law Wahneeta and Gil Ramirez; stepsister Nancy Northrup; stepbrothers Don, Larry and Terry McDonald; and many loved nieces and nephews.
A service is at 1 p.m. Jan. 12, 2012, at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona with a reception following. A celebration of his life will be held in July in Steamboat.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Valley; to the Arizona chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America; or to the ALS Association’s Arizona chapter.
