John Ellis Ellsworth

John Ellis Ellsworth, 84, of Spokane, Washington, passed away peacefully on February 2nd, 2026.
Born on July 20, 1941, in Phoenix, Arizona, John lived a life marked by intellectual curiosity, professional achievement, and creative passion. He graduated from Tempe High School in 1959 and went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Greenville College, Illinois, in 1967. His pursuit of knowledge continued at St. Louis University School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate on May 13, 1972.
John practiced law for 25 years, followed by a successful career as a computer engineer at Microsoft. In 2014, he embarked on a prolific writing career that would define his later years, authoring over 50 legal thriller novels with many more works still in draft form—a testament to his boundless creativity and dedication to his craft.
John was preceded in death by his beloved sister, Noel Harrison.
He is survived by his loving wife, Debra Ellsworth; his daughters Rebecca Murphy (Sean) of Kirksville, Missouri, Noel Rajski (Carl) of Niles, Illinois, Adrienne Cormier (Liam) of St. Joseph, Michigan, Adriane Schuler (Jon) of Spokane, Washington, and Ariel Czapiewski of Seattle, Washington; fourteen grandchildren: Alex Murphy (Taran), Ethan Murphy (Maggie), Aidan Murphy (Emma), Kellen Cormier, Roman Rajski, Spencer Rajski, Quinn Cormier, Audrey Rajski, Reid Rajski, John Mark Schuler, Nathan Schuler, Clark Schuler, Aaron Huckabay, and Asher Czapiewski; three great-grandchildren: Imogene Murphy, Clifford Murphy, and Nolan Murphy; and his nephew Mark Matlock of California.