By Jim Meridith
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2 Comments
    • Service

      There will be no services.

    • Full Obituary

      Jesse Richard Ellis, 59, of Albion IL, died Wednesday, December 8th, 2021, of an accidental drug overdose. Born September 9th, 1962, in Fairfield, Illinois, he was the son of Grace Ann Bunting-Ellis-Loy and Donald Ray Ellis.

      Although many people did not see the other side of Jesse he was a kind gentle soul who cared for others. Most of the time people described him as a lost soul but he was not lost he just strayed from his path now and again.

      Jesse's life could be seen as a long history of drug and alcohol use that began in early adolescence, became more severe and dangerous over the years, and never really let go of him. Jesse was diagnosed with a mental health disorder at the age of 20 and he struggled most of this life self-medicating to keep the demons away. Many people in the community where he chose to live watched out for him. He was surrounded by God's angels who helped him with his basic needs which made it possible to live in the community.

      Jesse is survived by his sister Deborah Ellis Dunseath of Cumberland, OH, a brother Anthony Ellis of West Salem IL. and a half-brother Donald Lee Ellis of Zanesville, OH

      He was preceded in death by his parents Donald Ray Ellis and Grace Ann Bunting Ellis Loy. Maternal Grandparents Edward Bunting and Dorothy Pierce Bunting, Paternal Grandparents Olin Ellis and Lara Bradham Ellis.

      There will be no services.

      Ingram-Meridith Funeral Home, Albion, IL

       

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    2 Condolences
     
    1. Curtis Ingram / December 16, 2021 at 4:26 pm

      To see Jesse around town, and he would almost always wave back, was a positive reminder that,
      There but for the grace of God go I
      Rest in peace dear one.

      Curt Ingram

    2. Bruce E Baumberger / July 20, 2022 at 4:06 pm

      I remember walking alongside Jesse through many of his ups and downs in Albion back in the late 1980’s-early 1990’s. He allowed me to see how people could really be when confronted with a young man struggling with unseen tormentors. He was always kind to my kids and we welcomed him at our table. Knowledgeable in the Bible, he told me, as he was waiting to leave town (once again) on the Greyhound bus, that he was Jesus. Crazy? Maybe, but consider this: “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to the least of these my brothers and sisters, YOU WERE DOING IT TO ME!'” (Mt. 25:40, NLT, caps mine).
      Thank you, Jesse, you taught me what it meant to be true to my Christian faith and price that sometimes has to be paid in being faithful to it. May all your tormentors be silenced and May you rest in peace.
      Rev. Dr. Bruce E. Baumberger

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