Tristan "Belew" Ellis entered the Kingdom of Heaven on May 4, 2026, at the age of 52. He bravely fought complications from a heart attack on April 23, 2026, until he succumbed peacefully at UT Tyler East Texas hospital while surrounded by loving family and close friends.

​Belew was born in Marshall, Texas on July 20, 1973, to the late Rhory "Honey" Mason and Beva "Bear Track" Ellis, Jr. Raised in Marshall, Texas, he graduated from Marshall High School in 1991, obtained a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University in 1995, and then a law degree from Texas Tech School of Law in 1998.

​Belew was a disciple and a believer in Jesus. He was devoted to his faith and the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, which he observed daily with his pastor and other friends at the gym following daily exercise with Green Iron Ministry, and which he exemplified via his devoted membership at the Crossroads Baptist Church. He also enjoyed Monday Night Men's Group, and Wednesday nights teaching his RA boys how to best and bravely mature into men of spirituality and faith. Belew and his wife Naomi are one of the founding couples of The Remnant Ministries of Marshall, Texas.

​His wife of nearly 20 years, Naomi, was deeply loved by Belew with a gratitude and devotion that was inspiring and rooted in God's promise. He loved her home cooking and long conversations with her, where together they navigated life's challenges and shared, hand in hand, the affections that only husbands and wives deeply in love can experience. Theirs was an enduring love, built to last and buoyed by sustaining laughter and forgiveness through God's grace.

His son Gage, now an educator and supremely talented trumpeter, made Belew exceptionally proud. Belew was a doting and protective father to two beautiful daughters, too. His daughter Evie, now 19, aptly described Belew as "the best dad ever". Belew was such a proud Aggie, and Evie naturally followed in Belew's footsteps to Texas A&M. His daughter Audry, now 16, knew what all youngest daughters intuitively know: she was her daddy's favorite. Belew meant the world to his wife and children, and they were his joyful world, too. He always supported his kids, no matter their endeavors. Belew himself did not play the trumpet, engage in competitive dance or play tennis, but his kids enjoyed these pursuits, so he never missed any of Gage's band performances, enduring even his early middle school band concerts. If a 12-hour dance competition for Evie was required, so be it; Belew was there to support her. The heat and humidity of Audry's tennis tournaments was no obstacle to Belew, either. Belew was there. For all of it, Belew was there for his children, no matter what. He loved all of them so.

​To Belew's friends, all of whom took less than 5 minutes to become as much, he was an unstoppable force of generosity, loyalty, and support. His closest buddies enjoyed the bond of a secret crappie fishing spot together with Belew, the location of which shall never be revealed in writing. In times of need, Belew never failed to lend a hand. A shirt on Belew's back was a shirt on the back of another if Belew was asked, and many times, even if it was not asked, especially to strangers or the less fortunate, whom Belew endeavored to ensure felt loved, shown respect, and raised up in the countenance of God's light and promise.  He learned the power of charitable deeds, always performing them quietly, because he knew that the help he arranged for those in need, rather than his own self-congratulation, was what mattered most.

​He was the sort who nicknamed the various trucks and cars he owned in his life. There was Ethel, an old pick up. And, Roo (a Subaru). He could tell a joke, and he could take one, too. He adored music, and sang songs loudly, constantly and vibrantly to his family and friends alike, without regard to whether he was in key. He loved to collect and trade firearms. He was an avid and accomplished outdoorsman, hunter, and angler. Such outdoor adventures brought camaraderie, and sustenance to his family, but his love of nature was most meaningful in that he knew an expedition to enjoy nature brought him closer to God's providence.

The lawyers who knew Belew knew him by this highest of compliments: he was a trial lawyer's lawyer. For nearly three decades, he fearlessly tried cases to juries in courthouses all over Texas. The verdicts he obtained were in the hundreds—a remarkable and likely unmatched tally anywhere in Texas for a lawyer of his vintage. In court, as in life, he fought hard when required, but never unfairly. His word to an opposing counsel or judge was his bond, and he earned far reaching professional respect as a lawyer—so much so that he was hired as a municipal judge in Marshall. Seeking new challenges, he recently decided to enter the race to become a state district judge in the next election cycle—a job at which he surely would have excelled. He was a skilled and burgeoning mediator of legal disputes, too, promoting principles of reconciliation to help opposing parties find peace and closure in their lives.

Belew Ellis always stood tall and proud, sturdy, and true to his roots, like a mighty East Texas pine, yearning towards Heaven. His family and friends know that he is there now, awaiting them at the pearly gates, probably clutching a Bible in one hand and a copy of Lonesome Dove in the other. We will all see him again.

​ Belew is survived by his wife Naomi, his three children, Gage, Evie and Audry, his father, Beva "Bear Track" Ellis, Jr., his stepmother, Ronda "Dixie" Ellis, his brother, Bo Ellis and his stepsiblings, Clark Adkins, Lindsey Phelps and Holli McIntosh.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Rhory "Honey" Mason.

Pallbearers are Charlie Blalock, Jason Garrett, Casey Goolsby, Jack Pearl, Scott Robertson, Jason Skinner, Tommy Solomon, and Kurt Truelove.

​A funeral service will be held to honor Belew's life and memory on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at 2pm at the Crossroads Baptist Church, 11763 FM 31 in Marshall, Texas. A visitation will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 8pm to 10pm at Downs Funeral Home, 4608 Elysian Fields Road in Marshall, Texas.

In lieu of plants and flowers, please consider donating an account that has been set up at Texas Bank & Trust to the account "Benefit of Ellis Children."