Thomas James Ellis Sr.

Thomas James Ellis Sr., 88, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away on Sunday, December 26, 2021. He was born on September 10, 1933, in Omaha, Nebraska to Andrew and Margaret (O'Brien) Ellis.

Growing up in Omaha, Tom attended Dundee Elementary and eventually Benson High School. Prior to his senior year, his family moved to Griswold, IA, and he graduated from Griswold High School in 1951. As a boy, Tom had a paper route, a dog named Bing, and was a Star Scout with a local Boy Scout troop. Tom played high school football and was offered a scholarship to a small university in Iowa, but after graduation decided to join the US Air Force. Between graduation and joining the Air Force, Tom worked as a batch truck driver and excavation operator for a road construction company throughout southern Iowa. Tom's first car that he bought was a 1942 Ford.

Upon joining the Air Force in 1952, Tom did basic training at Parks Air Force Base in Hayward, California and eventually moved on to engine and airframe school at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas. At Sheppard, he was originally scheduled to learn maintenance procedures and conditioning for large reciprocating engines on aircraft like the B-29, but the Air Force was transitioning to jet powered aircraft, and Tom's class was re-assigned to jet engine maintenance. After completing training, Tom was stationed at Forbes AFB in Topeka, KS, where he was assigned to the 90th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. Forbes was home to two RB-47 reconnaissance wings. Tom often spoke fondly of the summer of 1955. With construction taking place at Forbes, his wing was transferred to Eielson AFB in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska, while the sister wing spent the summer in blistering hot North Africa. Tom had reached the level of Staff Sergeant upon his discharge.

While Tom was stationed at Forbes, he met his beautiful wife, Mary. They married on February 15, 1957, in a small private ceremony shortly before Tom was honorably discharged in March of the same year. With Mary being from nearby Burlington, KS, they decided to stay close to family and moved to Kansas City, KS. They bought their first house in Mission, KS around 1962, then moved to Shawnee, KS in 1974. Upon arriving in KC, Tom initially worked at a local gas station at 39th and Wyoming in Kansas City, MO while he considered working for TWA as a mechanic to capitalize on his knowledge of modern aircraft. When a job with TWA did not materialize, Tom entered the electrical apprenticeship program with IBEW 124 in 1958 and turned out as a Journeyman Electrician in 1962. Tom took calls from numerous contractors throughout the 1960's. He eventually took a call with Shaw Electric Company in 1967 and stayed with Shaw as Electrician, Estimator, and Project Manager until his retirement in 1994. Tom worked on some of the largest projects in the area at the time, such as The RLDS Temple in Independence, MO and 1201 Walnut and One Kansas City Place in Kansas City, MO.

Tom's and his family's love of camping deepened when they began taking annual summer vacations in a pop-up camper in 1968, and eventually upgraded to a Winnebago motorhome in 1977. Taking a short break from RVing, Tom and Mary bought a lake house on Lake of the Ozarks in 1987, eventually moving to the lake full time in 1995. They rekindled their love for RVing when they bought another RV in the late 1990's and it became the focus of retirement, routinely taking long trips and wintering in warm climates such as Florida, Texas and Arizona until 2016. The Phoenix area grew to be their favorite winter home destination. The highlight of their RVing was a trip in the early 2000's during which they navigated the Alcan Highway, which covers almost 1400 miles from Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Delta Junction, Alaska. They enjoyed traveling in their RVs with Tom's younger sister, Jan and her husband Ed. Tom and Mary moved to Olathe, KS from the Lake of the Ozarks in 2005 to be closer to their children and their eight grandchildren. During their time in Olathe, Tom and Mary continued to enjoy RVing as well as attending grandchildren's events such as baseball, basketball, soccer, and football games as well as band concerts, air shows, Boy Scout events and horse shows. They continued to stay close with siblings and extended family and visited with them often. Tom's hobbies included hunting, gardening, boating, autos, camping, snow skiing, and home DIY projects. He enjoyed smoking meats on his Traeger smoker long before it became popular. Tom loved to read books on various topics but seemed to favor history and the American West. Tom also enjoyed planting and caring for a vegetable garden every year on daughter Debra's farm in Spring Hill, KS. Tom was an active member of Southminster Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS and served as a Deacon and Elder for several years.

Tom is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Mary Ellis , and children: Julie Steele and her husband, George; Debra Gieringer and her husband David; and Thomas Ellis Jr. and his wife, Cheryl; and eight grandchildren: Brian, Andrew, and Kaitlin Steele; Megan and Christopher Gieringer; and Jacob, Benjamin, and Samuel Ellis; and sister Janice Bogard and her husband, Edward.

He was preceded in death by his older sister, Marilyn (Ellis) Wolf, and younger brother, Robert Ellis.

The family will receive guests for a visitation from 9:00-11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 3, 2022, at Penwell Gabel's Olathe Chapel. A funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m. at the Chapel, directly followed by burial in Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Overland Park, KS.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be given to either the Kansas Honor Flight, 401 W 1st Ave, Hutchinson, KS 67501 or to the Olathe Hospice House, 20375 W. 151st Street, Suite 363, Olathe, KS 66061.





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