James Ronald “Ron” Ellis, age 87 of Franklin, TN passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 18, 2025. Ron was born on November 11, 1937 in Nashville, Tennessee to James and Murleen Ellis. Ron grew up in West Nashville and graduated from Cohn High School in Nashville in 1955. He and Sarah met in the choir at Belmont United Methodist Church and were married in 1960. Ron started working at Sears in the lighting department and was drafted into the Army in 1961, where he served two years at Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon returning to Nashville, Ron got his degree from MTSU and went to work for the Aetna Insurance Company at their Knoxville office. Sarah and Ron moved to Franklin in 1973 when Ron joined Richard M Miller Insurance Company, which ultimately became Willis. Ron was the CEO at Willis Nashville for over 10 years. Some of his favorite times at work were decorating the office for Christmas, dressing up as Santa Claus, and passing out presents to the folks at work. He was also the Santa in the Franklin Christmas parade for many years. He was a member of Leadership Nashville, Class of 1994, and a member of the Heritage Foundation of Franklin. Ron enjoyed travel and going to restaurants with his friends and family. He especially enjoyed riding in the car with his dog Duncan to get ice cream. And later on sharing that tradition with his kids and grandkids whenever they visited. Ron survived by his wife, Sarah and his children David (Tricia) and Jenny (Kyle) and grandchildren James and William Ellis. Funeral service will be held 2:00PM Tuesday, September 23, 2025 with visitation two hours prior to the service at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home. Jim Taylor will officiate. Burial will follow at Williamson Memorial Gardens. Family and Friends will serve as pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to GraceWorks, Alive Hospice or to the charity of your choice. WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, 615-794-2289.
