James J. Ellis

Jim was born in Monett, Missouri to Gladys Jeffries Ellis and Winston Huber “Hub” Ellis. Jim was a proud Monetian and grew up with a love of hunting, bird dogs, golf and all things sports. A 1951 graduate of Monett High, Jim was a proud fighting Cub. He served as the quarterback of his state championship football team and he was offered a basketball scholarship from the University of Missouri. But Jim’s true sports passion was developed on the Monett municipal golf course. Jim was known to hit as many as 100 balls a day with each club as a young man and was a worthy opponent on the links. Jim developed his strong work ethic at an early age through sports and working on the Coca-Cola trucks his Dad ran throughout the southwest Missouri region. Jim, aka Tiger, graduated from the University of Missouri in 1955 where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. His college years were some of Jim’s favorite, and the friendships formed at 520 College Avenue blessed Jim throughout his lifetime. As an alumnus, Jim was elected to the Board of Directors of the Beta Theta Pi Foundation and served on the house corporation of the Zeta Phi chapter at Missouri.

Jim married his wife of over 51 years, Van Hartman Ellis, in 1960 and moved to Dallas where he started his career with the Mutual of New York. He was appointed Manager of the Dallas Agency in April, 1976, earning the title of General Manager in the same year. He served as Chairman of the Products Committee, the Manager's Compensation Committee, and on the Manager’s Advisory Committee for the Central Region until his retirement from management in January of 1992. Industry awards included the National Quality Award, the National Management Award, and the Court of the Table. Additionally, Jim was a Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table. Jim received the Faculty Alumni Award from the University of Missouri and the Citation of Merit from the Alumni Association of the University of Missouri. He was a University of Missouri Jefferson Club member and he was active in the Davenport Society, the Strategic Planning Board of the College of Business at Missouri.

Jim was a member and past President of the Dallas Country Club where he served numerous terms on the Board of Governors. Jim was also a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and most recently served on the boards of Jack Henry and Associates, Merit Medical Systems, Inc., The Bank of Texas, and First Command Financial Planning, Inc. Jim also served on the boards of Cornerstone Bank, Challenger Capital Group, Geniant, Inc., Vanderbilt Energy, Dallas Academy, The Business Advisory Board of the Dallas Business Journal, USNetworks, Inc., Sentir, Westwood Trust, and Hope Cottage.

While Jim’s accomplishments reflect his notable intellect, character and work ethic, what Jim will truly be remembered for is his collection of friends. Jim loved people and maintained friendships from the Atlantic to the Pacific and everywhere in between for decades. Jim loved the Lord and was a man of faith. He will be sorely missed by those he has left behind. A man of character, integrity and a gentleman at all times, Jim was fun loving, and a blessing to all who knew him. He had the most wonderful smile which he loved to share.

Jim is survived by his wife, Van, his daughters Mary Van Ellis Armistead and Helen Ellis, his son in law Howard L. Armistead III, and his three grandchildren Caroline, Howard IV and Elizabeth Armistead. A memorial service celebrating Jim’s life will be held at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Douglas at Colgate, in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, August 24th at 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the Beta Leadership Fund, which supports the Men of Principle Initiative that Jim championed for so many years during his service on the Beta Foundation Board of Directors (Beta Theta Pi Foundation, P.O. Box 6277, Oxford, Ohio, 45056).