John A. Elliott III

John A. Elliott III was a Vietnam veteran, theater educator and longtime fixture of the Eugene and Springfield, Oregon arts community, best remembered locally for decades of work teaching stage construction and stage combat at the University of Oregon and for his devotion to The Very Little Theater in Eugene. He died on October 6, 2026, in Springfield, Oregon, at the age of 88.

Elliott's life began far from the Pacific Northwest. According to his family's published obituary, he grew up in Alaska, where he became a master carpenter by the age of fourteen and played hockey on frozen lakes, breaking his nose for the first time in the process. He was drawn to performing arts early, taking part in school theater, and the obituary notes a memorable brush with fame as a teenager when he crossed paths with the actor Boris Karloff, who starred in a 1957 Anchorage High School production of Arsenic and Old Lace.

Elliott went on to serve in the United States Army Special Forces, the Green Berets, during the Vietnam War, with tours in 1966 and again in 1968 and 1969. He returned from that service decorated with a Combat Infantryman Badge, a Bronze Star, the Vietnam Service Medal with six bronze service stars, and an Air Medal with a first oak leaf cluster, among other commendations.

After his military service, Elliott settled in the Eugene area and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech from the University of Oregon, where he also met the woman who became his wife, Lee. He built a long career tied to the region's performing arts scene, working for many years in the Mass Communications Department at Lane Community College and later teaching stage construction, stage combat and firearms safety classes at the University of Oregon. Outside the classroom and workshop, he enjoyed wine making, landscaping, gardening and leathercrafting.

Elliott died at 88 in Springfield. No cause of death has been made public. In keeping with his wishes, the family has said no public funeral service will be held, and they have asked that memorial donations be made to The Very Little Theater in Eugene in lieu of flowers. He was survived by his wife, Lee Elliott, his four children, John Elliott IV, Sheryl Martel, Lisa Elliott and David Elliott, and his four grandsons, Trevor, Rylan, Luke and Kyle.