Retired decorated AF major Ellison dies at 76

Friday, Feb. 25, 2000 | 10:29 a.m.

Jesse H. Ellison, a retired decorated Air Force major who later worked as an engineering designer for the city of Las Vegas, died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was 76.

Born March 11, 1923, in West Virginia, Ellison and his family moved to Las Vegas in 1963 after living three years in Tokyo.

A World War II veteran, Ellison had served in Anchorage, Alaska, and Morocco and England.

"He was very dedicated to serving his country," his wife, Rosemon, said. "He was very patriotic."

Ellison retired from the Air Force in 1965 and then took a job with the city of Las Vegas as an engineering designer.

Family and friends described Ellison as a private person who never boasted -- or even mentioned -- his military decorations.

Ellison entered the public eye, however, when he and his wife were involved in a battle with the U.S. Army after it had declared the death of their son, Spec. 4 James Pepper Ellison, a suicide.

Their son's body was found Oct. 27, 1983, in the mountains of Fort Huachuca, Ariz. James Ellison had recently graduated from the U.S. Army Intelligence Course and School at Huachuca. An autopsy revealed massive doses of cyanide in his system.

Jesse Ellison and his wife struggled for two years trying to get the Army to conduct a murder investigation and change the ruling of their son's death. The Army conducted further investigation, but the ruling was never changed.

Ellison retired from the city of Las Vegas in 1984.

He was a member of the Italian American club and golfed weekly.

In addition to his wife, Ellison is survived by two sons, Douglas Ellison of Henderson and David Ellison of Liberty, Mo.; two brothers, Paul Ellison and Lawrence Ellison, both of West Virginia; two sisters, Cleo Morris of Mesquite and Loretta Gilbert of Nashville, Tenn., and three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled 3-6 p.m. today at Bunkers Memorial Chapel, 925 Las Vegas Blvd. North. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Davis Paradise Memorial Garden, 6200 S. Eastern Ave.