James R. "Jay" Ball, 75, of Elkhart, passed away on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at Elkhart General Hospital. He was born in Dayton, Ohio on December 14, 1946, to the late Dariel and Alice (Bush) Ball.

Jay is survived by his children: James (Denise) Ball, Trina (Rick) Medford, Jessica (Tim) Coburn, Bret (Courtney) Parmer, Christopher (Christina) Parmer, and Brandy Ball; 17 grandchildren; 6 great grandchildren; brother, Cecil Ball; as well as many nieces, nephews and several close friends. Jay was a loving father, brother, friend and confidant to many.

He is preceded in death by his loving wife of 26 years, Melissia J. "Jawain" Ball; parents Dariel and Alice Ball: siblings, Wayne Ball, Connie Clark, and Lonnie L. Ball; and faithful German Shepherd companion, Susie.

A funeral service will be held at Billings Funeral Home located at 812 Baldwin St. in Elkhart at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 28, 2022. Visitation will be held between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Dr. Daniel Geer will officiate, and an entombment will follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Osceola where he will be laid to rest with his wife.

Jay was a caring, strong and hardworking man who lived and loved life to the fullest, and shared his witty sense of humor with everyone. He served proudly in the United States Army during Vietnam and later worked as a maintenance millwright for Elkhart Products for many years. Jay married the love of his life, Jawain, on July 26, 1992. Together they both shared a love of their family and a passion for riding motorcycles. He was a talented guitar player and would often serenade Jawain, performing his favorite song for her, "House of the Rising Sun."

Throughout his life, Jay enjoyed bowling, camping, fishing and weekend trips with his family and friends. Some would describe Jay as a handyman, a "Jack of all trades." He was a talented mechanic who loved to work on cars- particularly race cars that he built and raced on many local racetracks and dragstrips. Jay could fix just about anything that was given to him, earning him the title of "Mr. Fix it."

Jay also had a courageous and determined fighting spirit that led him to survive many of his greatest adversaries- namely his battles with brain, lung and bone cancer. It is with the same spirit that he loved his family above all things and was determined to be there for them. Jay was dedicated to participating and showing up for every one of his children's and grandchildren's events as often as he could. He emphasized and often told them to "Put your mark on the world" by encouraging his children and grandchildren to be a positive difference in the world, carrying on his legacy.

Jay will be greatly missed not only by his loving family, but also by those whom he has touched throughout his life.