Firefighter Amy Behun, with the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, aids with hoisting the Flag of the United States above the driveway entrance to the Adams Area Fire District James Ellis Fire House. The funeral procession for fallen firefighter Jim Ellis drove under the archway enroute to his final resting spot. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle

Firefighters, family, and friends from across the region attended burial services at the Mars Cemetery on Wednesday for Mars firefighter James “Jim” Ellis, who died July 13 after a recent illness.

A longtime member of the Mars Volunteer Fire Company, now the Adams Area Fire District, Ellis served as AAFD’s vice president. He was also a captain with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, and served 25 years with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.

Ellis was known for his expertise in training, and traveled across western Pennsylvania and across the country to teach other firefighters. In Adams Township, Ellis was an integral part of the company, and contributed to the larger project of the building of the new Adams Area fire station on Route 228 -- a building known as “Jimmy’s fire house” to many firefighters.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to support Ellis’s wife, Cathy Ellis, and his sons, Brady Michael and Ryan James. More than $35,000 has been raised of the $40,000 goal from friends and local fire departments to benefit the boys’ high school tuition at Seton La-Salle and future education expenses.

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Firefighter Connor Mack, 28, with the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, aids with hoisting the Flag of the United States above the driveway entrance to the Adams Area Fire District James Ellis Fire House in Adams Township. The funeral procession for fallen firefighter Jim Ellis drove under the ladder truck archway enroute to his final resting spot. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle

Firefighter Mike Mikulan, 28, extreme right, a member of West View Volunteer Fire Co., honors firefighter Jim Ellis with a salute at Adams Area Fire District James Ellis Fire House in Adams Township. The West View department was on duty for Adams Township during the services. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle

Chris Stickley, 32, with Berkley Hills Fire Co., Ross Township, salutes fallen firefighter Jim Ellis as his hearse passes before him. A portion of the funeral procession drove through the fire house and a last service whistle was blown in Ellis' honor. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle