James Gary Ferris, 83, of Huntsville, AL passed away Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Jim was born March 21, 1942, at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Galesburg, IL. He was the husband of Carol Burdis Ferris, who he married July 26, 1963 at Frankfurt, Germany and who predeceased him in 2013; the father of Michelle Nadine Carter (Victor), of Huntsville; the son of Bob and Marcele Holloway Ferris (both deceased); brother of Jeri Lynn Alsman and Marsha Kay Ferris (Deceased), both of Sullivan, IN; Daniel Robert Ferris (Lynn) of Lawrenceville, GA; and his youngest sister, Debra Banta (Irvin ) of Owens Cross Roads, AL, who predeceased him.
Jim, a graduate of Abingdon High School, Abingdon, IL, Class of 1960, joined the Army in 1961 and retired in 1983. Most of his Army Career was spent in Explosive Ordnance Disposal retiring as a Sergeant Major. He served two tours in Germany, in Viet Nam and was stationed in Illinois, Missouri, Arizona, and Alabama. Jim left the farm when he was 18 but he was always a hayseed at heart.
In 1989, he joined the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as Department of the Army Civilian (CAD) and became active in the planning and implementing the removal of unexploded ordnance items from formerly used military sites across the country. He left the USACE in 1995 and became a contractor with the same mission. He continued with this mission, traveling to many states and several countries, as a Project Manager. In 2003, he became a DAC again, and joined the Hazardous Devices School at Redstone Arsenal, AL as an instructor retiring from there in 2008.
Jim was an amateur genealogist who was hooked on his family’s history. His former website, Bombs & Bones, has been a source of Ferris information for many years. His great-great-uncle, George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. was the inventor of the Ferris Wheel. His 7th great-grandfather, Jeffrey Ferris, came to America in 1634 from England and Jim married a British-born lady to complete the circle. He also enjoyed creating memorials on FindAGrave.com. He has been posting his Ferris information to Ancestry.com.
Jim will be buried at Haynes Cemetery, DeLong, IL, with military honors performed by American Legion Post 381 of Abingdon, IL, in the same cemetery as Carol; his parents; grandparents; and numerous relatives.
Jim loved to grow flowers so he asked that instead of flowers, memorials be made to any of the following: National Explosive Ordnance Disposal Association (www.nateoda.org); Abingdon Historical Society, 113 S. Main Street, Abingdon, IL 61410; John Mosser Public Library, 106 W. Meek Street, Abingdon, IL 61410; Tunnels to Towers (T2T.org); American Cancer Society; American Heart Association; or ALS.
Visitation will be held at Laughlin Service Funeral Home in Huntsville, AL on Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral and Cremation Services of Abingdon, IL, will host a visitation on Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. with a graveside service at 2:00 p.m. at Haynes Cemetery. Jim and Carol will be buried together. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.h-p-w.com.
