LTC (US Army Retired) Billie Ellsworth Searls, 99

November 23, 2025

LTC (US Army Retired) Billie Ellsworth Searls, 99, passed on November 23, 2025. He is lovingly remembered by his daughter, Bilita Searls Mattes; his son-in-law, Jonathan Mattes; his grandson, 2ndLt (USMC) Joseph Searls Mattes; his godson Marc Overall; and many others who chose him as their honorary Dad, Uncle and Grandfather. He was the proud son of Elmer and Daisy (nee Stires) Searls of The Plains, Ohio; husband to Rita M. Searls (deceased); and father to Michael D. Searls (deceased).

LTC Searls served our country for over 34 years in the military to include World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1944 and celebrated his 19th birthday on September 2,1945 while serving in the South Pacific on the very day that Japan officially surrendered, ending WWII. He attended college on the GI Bill and then enlisted as an officer in the US Army. Some of his military honors include the Army Commendation Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and Legion of Merit. He also served his communities as a Mason for over 60 years earning the degree of Master Mason.

Billie Searls grew up as a coal miner’s son and worked in the mines himself for a time after leaving the Navy at the end of WWII. With his family’s support and encouragement, he went on to be the first in his family to earn an undergraduate degree (Industrial Engineering) from the University of Eastern Kentucky; he later attended the US Army Command and General Staff College; and then went on to earn a master’s degree from Babson College. He has had a profound impact on so many of us in his orbit regarding the power and utility of education and being educated.

Billie (Class of 1944) was honored to be inducted into the Athens High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008 for his contributions to the Blue Devil’s baseball and basketball teams of Chauncey-Dover High School, Chauncey, Ohio.

Billie, Dad, Boompie, Uncle Bill is gone but will never be forgotten. If you would like to honor Billie, please consider a donation to one of the following charities he supported in life:

Disabled American Veterans www.dav.org
Shriner’s Hospital for Children www.shrinerschildren.org
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org
Water Street Mission, Lancaster, PA www.wsm.org