Gerald Walker Ellis

Gerald Walker Ellis, 97, of Jackson, Missouri, passed away peacefully at home on June 28, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

Born on October 3, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, Gerald was the son of the late Walter Britt Ellis and Bertha (Johnson) Ellis. He grew up in St. Louis alongside his three brothers and one sister. At age seven Gerald was hospitalized with a combined attack of diphtheria and scarlet fever. He was unaware until his discharge that during his hospitalization his parents had narrowly survived a car wreck that claimed the lives of others in the car and left his mother with a shattered leg.

At age 17 Gerald enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1946 and proudly served his country before receiving an honorable discharge in 1948. His time in the service shaped his lifelong discipline, sense of duty, and fascination with parts of the world far removed from his boyhood home.

Gerald emerged from the Navy and immediately found a job with the Defense Mapping Agency. However, much to his mother's chagrin, he gave up his government job and opted to utilize the newly-established Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill) to enroll in undergraduate studies in education at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. There he met the woman who would become his best friend and wife of more than 75 years.

On August 7, 1950, Gerald married the love of his life, Dorothy Jean Dillard. Together they embarked on parallel careers as public school teachers. Gerald never tired of teaching and learning, eventually earning two Master's degrees and his PhD. in education. Gerald and Jean welcomed two children into their lives, and built a legacy defined by devotion to family, faith, and giving to others.

Gerald is survived by his beloved wife, Jean Ellis of Jackson; his daughter Jeanette Louise Ellis Fedosky (John) of Monroe, Michigan; his son Jeffrey Gerald Ellis (Denise) of Cape Girardeau, Missouri; three grandchildren, Jennifer Fedosky Benavente (Hugo), Gretchen Ellis and Peter Ellis; and two great-grandchildren, Jack and Kate Benavente.

He was preceded in death by his parents and all of his siblings. Following a service for immediate family members Gerald will be buried at Brown Cemetery in St. Mary, Missouri.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

— 2 Timothy 4:7

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital, 4400 Clayton Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, or Crown Hospice, 2858 Professional Ct, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, or American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741.