La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

August 6, 1938 - October 2, 2018

Ron Ellis, a long-time resident of La Conner and the Eagles Nest community, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 80. He had been in declining health and was on his way to a doctor’s appointment when life left him. May his soul rest in peace.

Ron was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Denbigh and Ethel Ellis. He resided in the Chicago area suburb of Hinsdale when, at the age of four, the family moved to Southern California, eventually settling in Laguna Beach near Los Angeles. Ron totally loved the beach environment, was an excellent swimmer, loved free diving, and spearfishing.

As a youngster, Ron attended an all-boys military school, later other grade schools, and the day after graduating from Laguna Beach High School in 1956 – and three haircuts later! – he was on his way to six months Army reserve duty at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

Following military duty Ron and two best friends traveled Europe together for nine months in a VW bus, an adventure he often spoke of fondly. After returning to the States, Ron attended Orange Coast Jr. College and then worked for Weyerhaeuser, handling accounts that involved frequent travel to the East Coast.

In 1964, Ron acquired his own business – a rental equipment company in Orange County and operated it successfully for the next 20 years. During this phase of his life, Ron met and fell in love with Aradina (Pien) Kohler, a charming Dutch woman, and in 1967, they were married. At the time, they lived about five minutes from the business, but several years later, moved to Ron’s original home area, Laguna Beach.

Ron and Pien loved to travel and vacation in their motor home, and in the early 1980s, while on their way to Canada to fish for salmon, they passed through Skagit County, staying at Bowman Bay and visiting La Conner. They were quickly attracted to the town and area. To Ron, it reminded him of Laguna Beach in the earlier years: uncrowded and on the water.

That first visit was followed by many others, “checking out the area,” ultimately deciding that “La Conner was the place to be.” Subsequently, Ron and Pien purchased a home in 1989, and made the move. Standouts were the people and friends, the landscape, boating and RV-ing throughout the region, and relaxed living. Ron was active in the Eagles Nest homeowners’ association, holding the office of president for several terms, and was a member of the Shelter Bay Yacht Club.

Ron is survived by his spouse of 51 years, Pien; two sisters, Margy Davis and Cathy Jones; two children by a previous marriage, Steven (Dorothy) Ellis and Kristen Danner; and two grandchildren, Jeffrey Ellis and Heather Ellis. Ron was preceded in death by his parents and a granddaughter, Heather.

At Ron’s request, no services will be held.