BELLVILLE: Jeffrey “Jeff” Carl Ellington, 56, of Bellville, passed away on Christmas Eve after a hard-fought battle with kidney cancer.
Jeff was born on December 7, 1964 in Shelby, Ohio to Carl and Janet (Clark) Ellington. He grew up in Mansfield and attended First Church of God in Shelby. Jeff’s faith played a crucial role in his life and made him the person he was. He worked hard to instill that faith in his children, modeling Christlikeness, integrity and generosity as a husband, father and friend.
From a young age, Jeff was well-known and loved for his sense of humor, outgoing personality and love of life. He always made people feel welcome and never knew a stranger.
As a preteen, he spent his summers assisting his father with his Pepsi delivery route. He was proud of those early Saturday mornings spent at his father’s side, crediting them with developing the work ethic that would carry him through life.
Jeff played basketball from third grade on and quickly became a star player that coaches and teammates could count on. A graduate of Mansfield Christian School, he was a member of the Flames basketball team and made the game-winning shot against rival St. Peter’s during his senior year.
Jeff attended Anderson College and graduated from the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in advertising. During that time, he met his wife Anne while the two waited tables at Red Lobster. Their friendship blossomed into romance and the two married on April 21, 1990. Jeff and Anne shared many things, among them a knack for real estate, a shared sense of humor and love for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns. Most importantly, they shared a friendship and devotion that never waned. After more than twenty years of marriage, Jeff was still flirting with his wife and singing her silly, made-up love songs.
The two later settled in Richland County, where Jeff co-founded Allegro Mortgage with longtime friend Joel Staich. As a mortgage lender, Jeff went above and beyond for his clients. He did more than just guide them through the mortgage process. He often became a de facto financial advisor. Jeff excelled in his field, but it was his integrity and genuine care that made customers remember him. If a client could get a better rate or a more beneficial type of loan elsewhere, he would point them in that direction — even if it meant losing business. Because of the person he was, clients became repeat customers and friends. No one ever had a bad thing to say about Jeff — he quickly earned the respect of clients and colleagues alike.
Jeff was a dedicated father who never failed to make time for his children. He let his little girls paint his toenails and played pretend with them even after a long day at work. He also stepped in to coach his daughters’ various teams, including softball and Upward basketball for Andrea and soccer for Katie. He never liked soccer, but that didn’t stop him from being there.
Jeff cherished family vacations to Florida. He loved to sit on the beach and watch his children play, take them on jet ski rides and dolphin boat trips and even parasailing. Those days of sand and sun, fried alligator bites and hot fudge sundaes were some of his favorite times.
Jeff’s faith and dedication to his family gave him the strength to fight for his life after being diagnosed with cancer in 2018. His tenacity astounded doctors and specialists alike. For more than two years, Jeff defied medical odds to be there for the people he loved.
He is survived by his loving wife and best friend Anne and his children, Katie (fiancé Praful Serrao), Sam and Andrea. He is also survived by his parents Carl and Janet Ellington, his sister Lynn McPherson (Brian), his brother Steve (Toni) and many beloved family members and friends. His kindness, joy and generosity touched many.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, George and Gem Ellington and Harold and Doris Clark, and an infant sister, Mary Lucille Ellington.
The family will hold a private memorial service out of respect for public health and safety. This service will be livestreamed on the Snyder Funeral Homes (Bellville Butler Chapel) Facebook page on January 5 at 11 a.m. A public celebration of life will be held in 2021.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Hope for Hilltribes at https://hopeforhilltribes.org/give-hope/ or by mail at P.O. Box 14091 Columbus, OH 43214.
Words of comfort can be left for the family at SnyderFuneralHomes.com.
