Obituary of Rudolph Joseph Ellick

Rudolph Joseph “Rudy” Ellick, 82, died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, October 27, 2020. A native and longtime resident of Philadelphia, he had recently moved to Denver to live with his daughter.

Rudy was a Navy veteran, having served 4 years in the ATU-604 Air Squadron and 2 years in the Naval Reserve. He was a tool and die maker by trade and had a keen eye for detail. As a divorced dad, he was devoted to his two girls and loved to take them shopping. He would wait patiently outside of dressing rooms, holding purses and excess items that were over the limit allowed inside. And no shopping excursion was complete without a trip to Ponzio’s Diner for crab cakes, ravioli (half meat/half cheese), and a mixed seafood platter. Rudy was proud of his Polish-Ukrainian ancestry and relished taking over his mother’s cooking legacy during Easter. He would make a huge pan of galumpkis from scratch and purchase homemade pyrohy (“the best”) from the ladies at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. A diehard Philly sports fan, Rudy was thrilled to finally see each of his favorite teams win a national championship with the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in 2018. He was also a passionate member of Notre Dame’s “Subway Alumni” and was so proud when his eldest daughter became an ND alumna in her own right. His hobbies included raising tropical fish, ink drawing, fishing, photography, and traveling. Rudy loved animals of all kinds and was especially happy to be surrounded by a menagerie of pets during the last few weeks of his life. He was known for his quick wit, infectious laugh, and most importantly, his selflessness for his family. One of his favorite pastimes was entertaining his grandchildren with countless stories of his devilish youth.

Rudy is survived by his companion of 35 years, Mary Louise Jonas; daughters Kathleen Annette Ellick Fritz and Sheryl Anne Ellick; and grandchildren Daniel Joseph Fritz, Alexandra Kathleen Fritz, Darby Dean Johnson, and Adam Ellick Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Mary (nee Wojdyla) Ellick and sister Florence Ellick.

Donations in Rudy’s memory may be made to the Denver Dumb Friends League.