Dr. James Ellis

James (“Jim”) Richard Ellis was born November 11, 1938, in Knob Noster, Missouri, to Richard Murrell Ellis and Doris Marea (née Ervin) Ellis.

James entered the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on October 2, 2026, at 2:25 p.m., at a hospital in Wichita, Kansas.

He was preceded in death by his parents; beloved wife, Charlene Rae (née Diekmann) Ellis; his older brother, Lawrence J. Ellis; and his younger brother, Gary Don Ellis.

He is survived by his younger sister and brother, Janice M. Reeves and Terry D. Ellis; his children, Mark A. (Diane) Ellis, Beth E. (J.D.) Hite, and John R. Ellis; thirteen grandchildren; and sixteen great-grandchildren.

Growing up on farms in Missouri, Jim attended one-room schoolhouses during his early grades. After his family moved to Olathe, Kansas, Jim attended Olathe High School. There, he excelled on the FFA Speech Team, was a vocal soloist, and performed in musicals. One of his favorite memories was singing with a choir that performed with Eddie Fisher. Being a natural athlete, he was a track star who medaled and broke state records at the Kansas Relays, and was a multi-year, All-State offensive lineman on Olathe’s football team. He graduated from Olathe High School in 1956.

Jim attended Bob Jones University, where he met Charlene. In the summer of 1957, during a brief visit as he passed through Evansville, Charlene—accompanied by her brother Michael—and Jim, on a whim, crossed into Kentucky for a rapid blood test, then continued to Illinois, known for same-day marriages, to elope.

After their marriage, Jim and Charlene moved to Kansas City to be near Jim’s parents and later settled in Olathe, Kansas, where all three of their children were born. Following Jim’s graduation from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, in the summer of 1964 for Jim to begin his Ph.D. in Microbiology at the University of Nebraska.

In 1971, the family began attending Lincoln Berean Church, where Charlene and Jim became deeply involved. Together, they served in the AWANA children’s program, beginning as leaders, advancing to directors and finally “Commanders” of the program, in addition to driving the bus to bring kids to the church. During their years of leadership, the Berean AWANA program grew to more than 800 children, becoming one of the largest programs in the nation. Later, Jim taught and served in the College and Career Sunday School class ministry, as well as serving on the Board of Elders.

Jim and Charlene were heavily committed to the ministry of The Gideons International. Jim served as state president of Gideons in Nebraska. In 2002, Jim and Charlene moved to Wichita, Kansas, to be near their daughter Beth and her family. Jim and Charlene attended Country Acres Baptist Church, and both continued to be deeply involved in the Gideons ministry, with Jim serving in various positions, including new member recruitment, on the State Board for Kansas. Grandchildren often attended the family events at the annual Gideons’ conferences.

In his profession, Jim wrote hundreds of peer-reviewed journal articles in microbiology, serving as a foremost expert on mycorrhiza, traveling the world giving presentations, including in Hungary long before the “Iron Curtain” fell, and spending a year as a visiting professor in Australia. Serving in a dual role at the University of Nebraska as a full professor employed by the USDA, he advised several graduate students over his career, many professing Christ as Savior after Jim’s influence on their lives.

Jim and Charlene shared a love of travel, especially when it involved family and ministry. They visited nearly all fifty states and regularly traveled to see their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for birthdays, graduations, and holidays. During their trip to Hungary, they extended their travels to visit missionaries throughout Europe. They also twice visited their son Mark and his family during their missionary work in Brazil and traveled to China with their son John. Jim also traveled to Malaysia on a Gideons mission trip.

Jim’s athleticism continued throughout his life, including during the jogging craze of the 1970s. Later in life, he participated annually for years in the Ride the Rockies bike tour, becoming one of the oldest riders to complete the seven-day bicycle ride of hundreds of miles through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Jim’s legacy is found in the lives of the people he influenced. He loved his family, served his church, shared his faith, mentored students, and devoted his life to helping others know Christ. His faith and example will live on through his family and the many lives he touched.

The memorial service time and location is to be announced.

Services in care of Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.