Late Pittsburgh firefighter remembered as loving family man and ‘accomplished professional’ – WPXI

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Aug 20, 2022

PITTSBURGH – Family members and firefighters mourn the loss of a dedicated public servant and family man.

Capt. Jim Ellis, a 23-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, died Wednesday at Allegheny General Hospital.

Ellis was surrounded by loved ones and succumbed to a battle with pancreatitis. He had previously been infected with COVID-19, according to fellow firefighter and longtime friend Captain John Gardell.

Gardell said Ellis also spent decades serving as a firefighter for the United States Air Force. He had a “tremendous ability to teach those around him,” Gardell said, noting that he served as an instructor to recruits.

Ellis was also a devoted husband to his wife, Cathy, and a devoted father to his two sons, Brady and Ryan.

Ellis was reportedly “very healthy” before falling ill, Gardell said, and his death comes as a tragic shock.

A statement from the office of Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones reads: “Jimmy Ellis was a ‘firefighter’, a dedicated family man and consummate professional. He was an asset not only to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, but to the United States Fire Department, having trained firefighters nationally and internationally. Captain Ellis was also a military veteran and he spent three years with the Wilkinsburg Fire Department before joining Pittsburgh Fire, becoming a respected mentor and lifelong friend to many in the Bureau. He will be deeply missed. Rest with God Captain, we’ll take it from here.

A GoFundMe was started as an education fund for his sons.

Visiting hours are Monday from 5-8 p.m. and Tuesday from 2-8 p.m. at the William Slater II Funeral Service on Greentree Road. Offices are scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Saint-Bernard Church.

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