Ellis Maurice Wendelin, Jr.

Ellis Maurice Wendelin, Jr. passed away at Virginia Hospital Center from natural causes on May 10, 2021. He was 91 years old. Ellis was born in the steel town of Allenport, PA in 1930, the oldest son of Ellis Sr. and Margaret Rindfuss Wendelin. He was the adored husband of Betty Wendelin who passed away in 2017. Together in a loving marriage for over 65 years, Ellis and Betty lived in Pennsylvania, Maryland, at the beach in Delaware, and most recently in Virginia. They were inseparable in life and surely are together again now.

Ellis was proud of his Finnish heritage and lived his life with the inner strength of sisu, a combination of courage, determination, and resilience. He adopted Betty’s Italian background and adored their relatives, their friends, and acquaintances. He loved a good joke, and never let time, even decades, prevent him from repeating it!

He was an accomplished high school educator in Montgomery County, MD, and believed passionately in the power of education to improve the lives of the thousands of students whom he taught. He credited his college and graduate degrees in giving him opportunities his ancestors never had and allowing him to make a loving home for his family. In addition to his teaching, he was a small business owner who created jobs and provided valuable on-the-job training to his employees.

Ellis’s hobbies included gardening and furniture building.  He was an accomplished stock picker and could easily have been a titan of Wall Street.

He showered his family with love and delighted in watching his children and their families grow. He never forgot a birthday or anniversary and was generous in support of his family and relatives. His kindness and patience, his love of family gatherings, and his perfect love for his wife Betty will never be forgotten.

Ellis is survived by his daughter, Jane K. Wendelin (James Callan) of Arlington, VA; son, Scott E. Wendelin (Dr. Kimberly Wendelin) of Pacific Palisades, CA; granddaughters, Katherine C. Wendelin, Christina K. Wendelin (fiancé Eduardo Gueiros), Julia T. Callan, Laura M. Wendelin, and Anne M. Wendelin; sister Ardis Mills (Robert Mills) of Elizabeth, PA; brother, Karl Wendelin of Pittsburgh, PA; niece, Sidra DeRose (Jeffrey DeRose), and great-nieces, Angela and Bethany DeRose of South Park, PA.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to an organization that touched Ellis’s heart, Shriners Hospital for Children. (www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org)

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