Jess EllisJess Ellis was born in Burley, Idaho, where his family ran a small farm raising sheep and potatoes. Jess's earliest memories include helping during lambing season and moving sheep camps to fresh pastures in the summers. As the farm transitioned to suar beets and Black Angus cattle, summers spent weeding beet fields became, as his mother Hazel joked, the inspiration for Jess and his siblings to pursue careers ranging from doctors to airline pilots. Jess served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Switzerland and Lebanon. He studied agricultural economics at BYU, worked for Del Monte, and pivoted to dentistry. Jess earned his degree at Northwestern University Dental School, specialized in Endodontics, and practiced in Alaska for 35 years before retiring in 2024. Written during the COVID-19 lockdown, Flower of China Mountain shares Jess' journey-from Idaho farm boy to an accomplished dental specialist-woven with resilience, family stories, and appreciation for life's formative experiences. Read More Read Less