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Good morning to all of you. This might be a bit hard for me, since I am not used to the name "elliewyatt", but I will continue calling her that as that name is what you all have grown accustomed to. I am "elliewyatt's" son in law. I wanted to express my gratitude to everyone posting here with memories of "ellie".
I have known her since 1999 and have loved her since. She was incredibly smart and knew a little bit of almost everything and knew a lot about the rest. She was a loving and generous mother to my wife and was traveling over 800 miles to visit us for Thanksgiving. I'm sure I will continue to post here (if you will have me) as this might be a good way for me to adjust to life without her.
So, to start with, let me tell you all that she was good at so many things! Did you know she was the best artist you never heard of? She mastered everything she got involved with. Many years ago she created a business for herself making display boxes with the top being covered by things she rug hooked. Of course, she had never rug hooked before, but within a year, many in that line of work considered her items to be better than those of people who had been doing it for decades. She grew tired of it and went to the next thing.
When her grandson was a little under two years old (he's 4 now) she created large scale Styrofoam animals that matched the bedding set my wife and I purchased for him online. "Ellie" did this by looking up the bed spread style on the internet, printing out the small pictures, blowing them up to literally 2-3 feet, cutting them out and painting them perfectly. I actually told her that she should get in touch with the company, show them the quality of work and mass market them. She'd be RICH, I tell ya! But, of course, she wasn't looking for monetary gains. She just wanted to make my wife and I and our son happy that we had an original piece from her. What a great Christmas gift that year! There was a penguin, a gorilla, an alligator, a turtle and a palm tree. Better than anything you could buy in a store.
More recently she began writing truly remarkable items for The Outrider, by using her love of all things western and the culture of the old west. She loved visiting places and staying with the people of the land and not going to "touristy" areas. When she took a trip to China, awhile ago, she didn't stay in any fabulous hotel, but rather in areas amongst the local population. Same with taking trips to visit Indian lands. When we took a trip to Mexico back in 2001, (we were the 1st flight to our destination after the airlines were allowed to fly again after September 11) we didn't think about going to Cancun or Cabo, but rather Puerto Vallarta well after tourist season so we could actually be with and learn from the locals.
Through the last 11 years, I grew to love "ellie" almost as a mother. My own mother had died from cancer about a year and a half before I met "ellie's" daughter and after I got to know "ellie" and her husband I figured she's my mom now! My wife and I actually moved in with them for a few months after we moved from Los Angeles to the San Francisco area for my career. Since I am an Executive Chef in San Francisco, I loved her interest in all things food! She liked actual Chef's too.....none of that Rachel Ray or Guy Fieri crap for her! Many a time I cooked for us all or she did or we tag teamed it. Of course, she left the kitchen in such a mess, I used to joke that I'd never be able to hire her at my hotel.....professional Chefs clean after themselves, after all!
So, I was gearing up for Thanksgiving dinner that fateful Tuesday a week and a half ago (hard to believe it has gone by so fast). She and I were going to go shopping that afternoon for all the goodies we'd need for Thanksgiving. She never made it to us.....
In her last e-mail to us a few hours before she set off on the trip, she said, and I quote....."Special request for TG dinner-- YESSSSSSS!!!!!!! Ken's sweet potatoes!!! OMG. OMG. I been dreaming of them. There may be rain during much of my drive or maybe not. If so, it might slow me down, depending. Might be ice at Tehachapi or not. : ( I reely, reely want to avoid rush hour."
Sadly, I was the one who had the unfortunate job of informing "ellie's" husband about the accident. I was also the one who had the extremely grim duty of driving to Barstow and picking through the minivan she was driving to pull out her luggage and other items. Incredibly, her dog, Ozzy (who my wife and I gave to "ellie" a few years back after her previous dog passed away and because she was so in love with him, and treated him with more love and care than any person ever loved an animal) survived with not so much as a scratch on him. His cage was utterly and completely destroyed, but he’s fine and back with us now.
It is incredibly important to us that "ellie" developed so many great relationships with people like you. We had no idea. My wife and I even got to spend 4 days at one of "ellie's" online friends (that became “actual” friends) house in Santa Cruz during the middle of the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.
I, personally, am still in utter shock and disbelief. If only we told her not to drive overnight…..of course, most likely she wouldn’t have listened. She could be stubborn at times, you know! She didn’t want to hit bay area traffic and left around midnight in order to arrive here by 3pm.
I’m not sure where the “ellie” part of her user name came from, but I definitely know where the “wyatt” part came from. You see, "ellie’s" grandson…..(our 4 year old son)…..his middle name is Wyatt.
It is with great sadness that I finish this post, but she was such a wonderful person that it will be difficult to stay sad for too long. I will always remember her infectious laugh, the silly way she spoke to her pets, her love of my wife and son and her general attitude towards everything and nothing in particular. I will remember that she liked The Doors as well as Pavarotti, Queen as well as The Gypsy Kings, The Sopranos as well as the Osbournes. She was eclectic and electric, she was argumentative yet supportive.....she never candy coating things or told you what she thought you wanted to hear, but rather what she was actually thinking.
"Elliewyatt" was a true original and will be sorely missed. For three full days, my wife was inconsolable. It's gotten a little better, but it will be slow going, as they were very close. They say time heals all wounds.....and this is true. I know this from experience. That doesn't make it any easier, however. She will remain in our minds forever. My own mother died 6 days before Christmas in 1997, so for better for worse, we always will have the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays close to our hearts.
So, thank you all for creating this forum where those who knew her (even if it was only online) can remember her. Lastly, "ellie" enjoyed a good Louis Prima song, and as his most famous song says, "Life goes on without me."
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