Ward James Ellis, age 33, of Tyler, TX, passed away on October 19, 2019. He was born November 7, 1985, in Dallas, TX, to Denny Ray Ellis, Jr. and Donna (Litton) Ellis. Ward was the only child of Ray and Donna Ellis. He graduated from Forney High School in 2004, then immediately went into the US Army Reserve out of Terrell, TX. He served in three tours of duty, including Kosovo, Iraq, and finally Afghanistan. Some but not all of Ward’s Army medals include: Iraq campaign medal with two campaign stars, Army Commendation Medal (2nd award), Army Achievement Medal (2nd award), Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2nd award), Armed Forces Reserve Medal, German Army Marksmanship Badge Bronze, Ward was honorably discharged on April 2012 with the rank of Specialist. He graduated from UT Tyler with a BS in International Finance in 2016, and a perfect 4.0 GPA. He also graduated with a Masters in STEM from Arizona State University in 2018. Ward was a member of the First Baptist Church of Heath, TX, where he publicly professed Jesus as his Savior in 1991, and where he was baptized as an adult in 2004. He served as the sound room technician during his years as a teenager.

Ward is survived by his parents: Ray and Donna Ellis of Forney, TX; his uncle and aunt: Daryl and aunt Kathy of Bella Vista, AR; aunt: Donna Darden of Round Rock, TX; uncle: Robert Ellis of Kemp, TX; and several cousins.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am Friday, October 25, 2019, at First Baptist Church Heath, 224 Smirl Dr., Heath, TX, 75032. Interment will follow in Heath Cemetery. A gathering of family and friends will be held prior to the service beginning at 9:00 am.