Brandon
Funeral Home
Ott & Lee
Visitation
1-2 PM, Saturday, 28 May, Ott & Lee Chapel
Service
2 PM, Saturday, 28 May, Ott & Lee Chapel.
Burial at Crestview Cemetery, Star Rd.
Obituary
Honoring a Fallen Hero, Who Served Within the Mississippi National Guard
In recognition of our proud American tradition of honorable service which our military men and women have given to their country and our State, we honor a Fallen Hero. Our nation, our state, and the National Guard Association of MS (NGAMS) regard the memorializing of its retired military deceased as an honorable and sacred obligation.
Another great Soldier and Fallen Hero has been released from duty, passed from our ranks on May 25, 2022, and moved on to his heavenly home. BG(MS Ret) James Robert Ellington, age 95, a retired member of the MS Army National Guard who had served as Commander of the 114th MP Co. and 112th Military Police Battalion, Commander of Camp Shelby Training Site, worked full-time at various senior positions of the USPFO and finalized his career as HQ STARC Chief of Staff, has departed and gone to a better place with our good Lord.
It takes a special person to serve within the military for their country, giving up their family time, comfort, and safety for their country, ultimately for all Americans to enjoy their freedoms, safety, and way of life. We now applaud you for your service to our country. A special message from General Douglas McArthur remains applicable today for our servicemen that have passed: “Old Soldiers never die; they just fade away”.
Rest in Peace Soldier. We applaud your patriotism and brave efforts in serving our country and your family for their support of your service. We thank you for your service. Without your efforts and your families’ support, this country would not stand so boldly, shine so bright and live so free.
You now have earned a rest, so go fly with the Angels, go rest high on that mountain; your work on earth is done. Go to heaven a-shoutin’ Love for the Father and the Son.
Obituary, visitation, and service details:
Brigadier General (Retired) James Robert Ellington
Brigadier General (Retired) James Robert Ellington went to be with his Lord on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at Merit Health Hospital in Brandon. Visitation will be held Saturday from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Ott & Lee Funeral Home in Brandon. Funeral Services are at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home with interment to follow at Crestview Memorial Gardens.
Born on October 12, 1926, to the late Morris Porter Ellington, Sr. and Letha Hyde Ellington, General Ellington grew up in Ackerman, MS, and graduated from Ackerman High School. In 1945, he was drafted into the U.S. Army Infantry and was assigned to the invasion force for Nagasaki, Japan. While he was on his way there, the U.S. dropped the second atomic bomb, and the invasion force became an occupation force. He and his unit evaded the remaining enemy snipers, destroyed Japanese planes and weapon reserves, cleared roads of debris, and supplied surviving Japanese citizens with food and clothing. In 1948, he served as an escort for the reinterment of soldiers who had died in World War II. He attended Delta State Teacher’s College on the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1951. After being called back to active duty for the Korean War, he was assigned to the Mississippi Military District where he met the love of his life, the late Ethel Estelle Andrews. They married in Jackson in 1953 and reared three daughters. Ellington continued his career in the Mississippi Army National Guard, later becoming the Commander of the 114th Military Police Company and then of the 112th Military Police Battalion. He was subsequently the Training Site Commander of Camp Shelby and retired as the Chief of Staff of the Mississippi Army National Guard.
Most of all, General Ellington was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. A long-time member of Epworth United Methodist Church and later of Brandon First United Methodist Church, he taught adult Sunday School for many years and served on many church committees. He was also a member of Jackson Civitan and then Brandon Civitan.
General Ellington is survived by two brothers, Jimmy Ellington of Oakland and Billy Ellington of Ackerman; one sister, Marjeanette Ellington Williams of Ackerman; and three daughters and their husbands, Pam and Mark Magee of Florence, Jane and Dennis Caranna of Brandon, and Patty and Steve Lee of Brandon. His grandchildren are Holly and Chad Wells of Brandon, Robert and Allison Magee of Brandon, Amy Elizabeth Lee of Brandon, and Amber and Eric Munden of Raymond. His great-grandchildren are Avery, Mallory, and Will Magee of Brandon and Anna Noel and Ada Munden of Raymond. Many nieces and nephews also cherish
his memory.
Ellington’s family wishes to express grateful appreciation to the employees of Assisting Angels Home Care and requests that memorials be made to Brandon First United Methodist Church or to the Salvation Army.