James R. Ellis, Jr.

James Russell Ellis, Jr. passed away in Corvallis, Montana at the age of 94. James, or "Jim" as he was known as by most, was born on September 14, 1930, to James Russell and Muriel E. Ellis, in Van Hook, North Dakota.

In 1936, during the Great Depression, the family moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where they stayed for one year, before finding it necessary to move again in search of work. In 1937, they settled in Cut Bank, Montana, where Jim attended school from the second grade on. He graduated from Cut Bank High School in 1948, and served in the USAF from 1951 to 1954. While stationed at Fairchild AFB, in Spokane, Washington, he met and married Beverly (Bev) Ann Philippi.

Following his discharge in 1954, Jim attended Northern Montana College in Havre, earning his education degree in 1957. After a couple of initial teaching assignments, the family moved back to Cut Bank, where he taught high school from 1959 until his retirement in 1983. Upon retiring from teaching, he and Bev opened up an art and frame shop, which they operated until selling it in 1997. Jim and Bev moved to Hamilton in 2010 to be closer to their oldest daughter, Carolyn White.

Throughout the majority of his life, Jim was a very active and avid worker and outdoorsman. But of all the things he loved outdoors – hiking, hunting, cross country skiing – his main passion was fishing. Lakes, streams, ponds, on the ice, in a boat – it didn't matter. As long as he was pursuing a fish on the end of his line, he was happy. Besides that, he was an accomplished woodworker, and brought a level of craftsmanship that belied an untapped artistic talent. In his latter years, Jim enjoyed telling stories, talking to people, reading, watching old westerns and eating good snacks.

After 63 years of marriage, his wife, Beverly, passed away on August 6, 2016. Jim is survived by his children, Carolyn White (Gordon) of Hamilton, and Laurie Hochhalter (Brandon) of Louisville, Kentucky; his son Ron Ellis of Las Vegas; five grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

A celebration of life service will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 12th, 2025 at Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton, MT.