Obituary of Jesse Owen Ellis
Jesse Owen Ellis passed away peacefully on Monday, March 4, 2024. Jesse was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky on April 23, 1951 and spent his early years cultivating a love of art and the outdoors. In 1969, Jesse graduated from Paul G. Blazer High School in Ashland, Kentucky and went on to study arts & humanities at Ashland Community & Technical College, and later, at University of Kentucky. Jesse met his partner of nearly 50 years, George John Fleischmann, Jr. in 1973. Together they built a life filled with shared hobbies of travel, cooking, music, collecting, gardening, and reading. Jesse and George loved their pets, including at least eight German Shepherds and several cats they raised over the years. Favorite memories include annual trips to Italy, vacations in Siesta Key, and hosting family and friends in the home they built in rural Woodford County overlooking the Kentucky River. Jesse had a successful career of 28 years at IBM, including serving as a Database Administrator & Development Programmer before retiring in 2002. Over the years he became a highly skilled painter, particularly masterful with oils and acrylics. With lifelong studying of portraiture, the Old Masters, and Renaissance Art, his personal collection emphasized a special interest in satirical and allegorical work. Jesse was also a greenhouse and tropical plant enthusiast, cultivating an impressive array of botanicals around their home. Jesse was loved and will be dearly missed by his family, close friends, and neighbors on the hill, as well as many connections he forged online.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Gilbert Morrison Ellis, Sr. & Catharine Owen Ellis, his partner, George John Fleischmann, Jr., and his sisters-in-law, Barbara Daniel Ellis & Victoria Ann Myers.
He is survived by his brothers, Gilbert Morrison Ellis, Jr. & Hays Hower Ellis, his nieces, Elizabeth Ellis, Deica (Michael) Brown, & Mollie (Joseph) Thomas, his nephews, Gilby (Allison) Ellis, Russell Ellis, Jason (Christin) Kingsolver, & Jacob (Heather) Ellis, as well as nine great-nieces and great-nephews.
Honoring Jesse’s requests, no formal services will be held.
Those wishing to make contributions in Jesse’s memory are encouraged to direct their support to Woodford Humane Society, PO Box 44, Versailles, KY, www.woodfordhumane.org.