Richard Lewis Ellis

Richard Lewis Ellis was born on August 2, 1936 in Burlington, Vermont to Dorothy Lewis Ellis and Ralph Luther Jensen Ellis.   His younger sister, Jean, predeceased him in 2009 and he is survived by his cousin Judith Thureson and her daughters Amy Herold and Julie Packard, all of Wellfleet, Ma.  He lived in Vermont for about 6 years until his family moved to the Provincetown, MA area.  A few years later the family moved to Needham, MA where Dick lived for about 70 years.    

Dick went to the Needham public schools, then to Newman Prep in Boston.  He worked for a few years before serving from 1959-1961 in the Army where he trained as a medic.  After his discharge, he enrolled at Northeastern University and earned an electrical engineering degree.  He worked for such companies as Sylvania and Raytheon, from which he retired as a Scientist.

Dick was a man of many interests.  He was a lifelong model railroad train enthusiast with a particular interest in the Pennsylvania RailRoad.  He was proud of his extensive collection of PRR model trains and liked working on them and reading about trains and their history in his extensive collection of books. He also had a great interest in cars and trucks and liked learning about the history of the automotive industry.  He kept his 1938 Ford in his backyard for decades and worked on it until health issues interfered.

In his younger years he was a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club and Sierra Club.  He liked outdoor activities, hiking and biking in particular.  He led hikes for club members in this area, or would go on hiking trails on his own or with friends. 

Dick enjoyed the company of his cats over the years.  His cousin remembers Dick bringing his cat, Blackie, to visit her on the Cape.  Blackie would accompany Dick on a leash when he visited.  Dick particularly liked to see the lighthouses on the Cape and would visit as often as he could. 

Following some health issues, Dick moved to Sunrise of Wayland assisted living facility in July 2016.  At Sunrise, Dick became a puzzle fanatic.  He only wanted to work on puzzles with at least 1000 pieces and would spend days in the activity room putting them together.  He also brought from his home his collection of Bluegrass CDs, his favorite music, to listen to as he worked on his trains or read in his apartment.  He lived at Sunrise for seven years before entering Beth Israel Deaconess in Needham with heart failure and passed away on October 16, 2023.  Dick will be remembered as an intelligent, curious man who was loyal to friends and family. 

Visiting hours will be held in the Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Ave, Needham, on Monday, October 23 from 2-4 pm. A Graveside service will be held at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Gross Hill Rd, Wellfleet, on Tuesday October 24 at 11:30am. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Richard Lewis Ellis, please visit our floral store.