Randolph William Ellis

Randolph “Randy” Ellis, 81, lived a life defined by service, devotion, curiosity, laughter, and an enormous heart. Born on November 10th, 1944, as the eldest of four children to the late US Army LTC Earnest William Ellis (Ret) and Muriel Ruth Rafferty, Randy entered the world the day before Veterans Day — a fitting beginning for a man whose life would so deeply reflect dedication to his country.

Throughout his childhood, the family moved quite often, as his father’s military assignments took them all over the world, including Fort Younghans, Japan; Frankfurt and Baumholder, Germany; Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma; and Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he graduated High School. Randy then earned an undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University in Raleigh in 1967.

As a third-generation career officer, Randy Commissioned into the United States Army in 1968, beginning a distinguished 25-year military career as an officer in the Corps of Engineers. His leadership began in Vietnam in 1969 where he led a platoon of Tunnel Rats with the 1st Infantry Division. Following his yearlong tour crawling through tunnels during a war, he found himself assigned as an Aide-De-Camp to the US Commander, Major General Cobb, in Berlin in 1971. In 1972, he took over as Company Commander for the 23rd Engineer Battalion in Hanau, Germany, which is where fate stepped in and he met the love of his life, Marion Heidemann.

Randy and Marion were married in April 1975 in Langen, Germany, beginning a partnership that would anchor and enrich the rest of his life. Together, they built a home filled with strength, humor, and unwavering support for one another. Randy’s military career took them to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, followed by Kelly Barracks in Darmstadt, Germany, where both of their daughters Sarah (1978) and Kirsten (1980) were born, completing their family. Thereafter Randy was assigned to, Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas, Fort Eustice in Newport News, Virginia, Patch Barracks, and Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany and finally Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia, where Randy retired as the Commander of FORSCOM Project Office with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1993.

Randy then embarked on a second, remarkable 22-year career as a management consultant with Draper and Associates. One of the proud highlights of this time was his service with the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Olympic Games, where he played a key role as Chief of Staff of the Olympic Stadium.

Randy’s most cherished titles were never printed on a résumé. To his daughters, Kirsten, and Sarah, he defined what it meant to be the world’s greatest dad. He was steady, protective, endlessly proud, and fully present. He raised strong daughters by showing them both discipline and deep affection — teaching by example that strength and tenderness belong together.

And then came his favorite role of all: Grandfather. Randy embraced being a grandfather (Opa), with boundless enthusiasm. He invented “marshmallow math,” proving that arithmetic is infinitely better when sugar is involved. He attended events, cheered loudly, teased gently, and delighted in every milestone. He did not merely love his grandchildren — he reveled in them.

He reveled in life itself. Randy loved opera, good food, German Schnapps and gathering around a table where laughter lingered long after the plates were cleared. He soaked up joy wherever he found it and gave it back tenfold. He had a way of filling a room with warmth and kindness — not through volume, but through presence. He showed his family what it means to serve with honor, to lead with courage, to love expansively, and to savor life fully — dessert included.

Randy leaves behind his beloved wife, Marion; his daughters, Sarah and Kirsten; two sons‑in‑law, Mike and Chris; and five grandchildren—Natalie, Tessa, Ellis, Makinlie, and Hudson—who will forever carry forward his humor, generosity, and unmistakable spirit. He also leaves behind two sisters, Chris and Kathy, and their families. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors at a later date.

A life of service. A heart of abundance. An Opa unmatched. Randy will be deeply missed and joyfully remembered