John Just Ellis

John Just Ellis, 87, of Farmington, widower of Helen (Reynolds) Ellis, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 08, 2014 in the home he and his wife built in 1957. Born in Foxboro, MA, he was a US Army Air Force veteran and was a former West Hartford resident before moving to Farmington in 1957. John was a graduate of Hartford Art School, Southern Connecticut State College and received his Masters Degree from the University of Hartford. He was an Art teacher at Hartford Public High School for over 30 years and also taught at Central Connecticut State College. John exhibited his paintings many places, including the New Britain Museum of American Art, the Gallery on the Green in Canton, and at the Farmington Valley Art Center. John made many appearances on television and radio in Connecticut concerning art and education. He was well known in our area for judging exhibits and giving lectures and demonstrations before civic, church and public school groups. His paintings still hang in numerous locations around Connecticut to this day. John was a God centered man of faith and attended the First Baptist Church in West Hartford and Valley Community Baptist Church in Avon. "I will work with faith in God, in man, and in myself. My art creates a nature beyond nature, an entity in itself, answering my spiritual and aesthetic needs." Surviving are two daughters and their spouses, Sandra and James Byrd of Kensington, Rebecca and Steven Eckert of Burlington; a son Timothy Ellis of Farmington; five grandchildren and their spouses, Matthew and Patricia Byrd, Joshua Ellis, Jessica and Eric Painter, Sarah and Michael Padelli, Richard and Heidi Eckert; and six great-grandchildren, Ian, Niamh, Justin, Nicholas, Clara, and Evan. A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 1:00 PM at the First Baptist Church, West Hartford. Burial, with military honors, will be at the convenience of the family in Fairview Cemetery, West Hartford. Due to inclement weather, calling hours will be held on WEDNESDAY from 5-8 PM at Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home, 411 So. Main St., New Britain. Memorial donations may be made to Wounded Warriors, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 or the Alzheimer's Association, 2075 Silas Deane Hwy, Suite 100, Rocky Hill, CT 06067.