Jimmie Louis Ellison

Jimmie Louis "Papa" Ellison, 84, of Jal, NM, was born on November 7, 1940, in Clovis, NM, to L.V. "Blackie" Ellison and Delmer Ellison, passed away on March 23, 2025. He was nearly a lifelong resident of the Jal community.

Portales, NM, was his home for the first 18 years of his life and where he graduated high school. On his 18th birthday, he joined the Marines and was sent to San Diego for boot camp, infantry training and reported to duty. After 4 months in the hospital with severe medical conditions, he was medically discharged. During the following year, he attended ACC and Eastern New Mexico University.

At the end of that year, he moved to Jal, NM and began his spanning career in the oilfield. Another monumental life event occurred when he met the love of his life, Melba Webb, who he lovingly referred to as the "cute blonde next door". They were married on August 24, 1961, and had two very special sons, Mack and Roy. They celebrated 62 years of beautiful marriage.

Jim was very passionate about his career. His expertise was highly respected in the industry and amongst his peers. He spent his career working for several companies, including Apache Corporation, where he retired as a District Manager. He truly cherished the lifelong relationships that were established throughout his career.

He felt privileged to have the opportunity to pursue his love of hunting and fishing in locations throughout the world. Some of his fondest memories included safari trips to Africa, where he was joined by Melba and their dearest friends Jim and Andi Mason, who also shared countless other travel adventures.

He was an amazing husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He regarded his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren as life's most significant accomplishment.