Robert “Bob” Lee Ellis
January 21, 1937 ~ February 27, 2016
Bob Ellis, age 79, a resident of Colorado Springs for the past 59 years, passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family members on February 27, 2016.
Bob was born in Wichita, Kansas on January 21, 1937 to parents Harry and Mary Ellis. He attended high school in Garden City, Kansas where he was an outstanding athlete in football and track before graduating in 1955.
After graduation, Bob enlisted in the Air Force and began a 21-year career in service for the United States. He proudly served our country in Morocco; ENT Air Force Base, now the site of the Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs (where he met and married his loving wife, Jane); Olathe Naval Air Station; Lechfeld Air Base in Germany; and Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. During the Vietnam War, Bob was a member of the 6251st Air Base Squadron as a part of the Security Police Section at Bein Hoa Air Base. Bob’s final assignment was at Travis Air Force Base in California, where he served on the 60th Security Police Squadron. Bob was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1976. After retirement, Bob, Jane, and family relocated to Dallas, where he pursued retail sales in the home furnishings industry.
Bob is survived by his wife, Jane, of 58 years; three children: Bobby (Claire) Ellis, Deborah (John) Elges, and Sandy (Earl) Pipkin; brother, Jim (Ann) Ellis; sister, Judy (Bill) Wellshear; grandchildren: Michael, Nicholas, Thomas, Elizabeth, Haley, Jessica, Joe, and Sarah.
Bob has joined his family in heaven, which includes his beloved granddaughter, Katy; mother, Mary; his sister, Marilyn; and his mother and father-in-law, Bill and Esther Gilmere.
A memorial service with military honors will be held for Bob on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 10:00 am at Shrine Of Remembrance in the “America the Beautiful” Chapel, 1730 E. Fountain Blvd. Donations in honor of Bob can be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/en/donate.