Ronald Lee Ellis

Ronald Lee Ellis (76) of Waynesboro, PA passed away peacefully the morning of October 17, 2025, at Celebration Villa in Martinsburg, WV. Born March 26, 1949, in Chambersburg, PA, he was the son of late Dorothy (Hess) Ellis and Clifford L. Ellis of Fayetteville, PA.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years Terri (Demichei) Ellis, sons Jason and Andrea (wife) Ellis of Buckeye, AZ and Justin and Ashton (wife) Ellis of Solvang, CA and 2 grandchildren Casen (8) and Sloan (9). Also surviving is his sister Lonna Ellis of Norristown, PA.
With an Associates Degree in Business Administration, Ron devoted his life's work to Government Service, serving 42 years before retiring on December 13, 2011. Starting in July of 1969 he joined the US Army and served on active duty through July of 1972. After Basic Training (Fort Dix, NJ), Advanced Individual Training (Fort Devens, MA) and Airborne Training (Fort Benning, GA) he was assigned to Company C of the 10th Special Forces Group (Fort Devens, MA) then later reassigned to 8th Special Forces Group operating out of Fort Gulick in the Panama Canal Zone where his main mission was to conduct counter-insurgency training for Latin American armies.
Upon returning to the US, Ron undertook a new assignment with the NSA participating in "Project Transition" to learn the necessary skills needed to become a computer operator in the civilian workforce which began in at Letterkenny, PA as a Calibration Specialist in 1974.
Several years later he met his wife Terri, and they married in 1979. He then held a variety of titles in Information Technology and Enterprise Information Systems starting at Fort Richie, MD and eventually retiring in 2011 as Deputy Director PEO, for the Technology Applications Office in Fort Detrick, MD.
Ron's hobbies included skiing, riding motorcycles, building model airplanes and hunting. He enjoyed his dogs and made them an important part of his life. He was a home body that enjoyed watching movies, tinkering with his things and spending time with his boys teaching them necessary handyman skills they would one day use while instilling a strong work ethic for their eventual careers. Ron was a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Waynesboro, PA.
He was a past member of the American Legion Post 44 and VFW Post 1599 in Chambersburg, PA.
In leu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Turning Point USA or the Alzheimer's Association. Ron's Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday October 28, 2025, at 11:00am at the Waynesboro Seventh-Day Adventist Church on 1 State Hill Rd. His burial will later be held in private by his surviving family.
Arrangements are entrusted to J.L. Davis Funeral Home, Smithsburg, MD. Online condolences may be shared at www.jldavisfh.com.