Mr. Ellis proudly served in the United States Air Force.He served four years with USAFSS as a morse code intercept operator primarily at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage Alaska with a top secret security clearance. He finished his service at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas. A devout Catholic, he was a longtime member of St. Matthew Catholic Church, where his faith and dedication to his parish community remained constant throughout his life.
William devoted the majority of his professional life to Information Systems Technology. He worked at Scott Paper Company and Sappy Inc., and for a short time served as an adjunct professor at the University of South Alabama and Spring Hill College. He later retired from the Mobile Catholic Archdiocese.
He is survived by his children: Joseph Caswell Rosa Jr., Elizabeth Lenore Hooks, and Christopher Michael Rosa and his grandchildren Isabelle Lenore Hooks and Lillian Bennett Hooks, daughters of Bennett and Elizabeth Hooks; Joseph Christopher Rosa, Rachel Grace Rosa, and Anna Katherine Rosa, children of Joseph Caswell Rosa Jr. and William Ellis Rosa, son of Christopher Michael Rosa.
Visitation will be at St. Matthew's Catholic Church on Saturday, February 28, 2026 beginning at 9:00 a.m. with Rosary being recited at 10:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Burial with military honors will immediately follow at Catholic Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama.
The family will host a small reception at 55 S. Monterey Street, Mobile, AL immediately after graveside services.
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