Dick Ellingwood was born in Madison Wisconsin and moved with his family to Spokane, WA in 1937. He attended Irving grade school, Lewis and Clark high school. After high school he fulfilled his military requirements as a radio communications specialist with the US Army until he was discharged in 1951. He then went to college graduating from the University of Washington with a BS in Business Administration. It was there that he met his wife Frances Fairchild Holbrook and married in March of 1955. Dick then went to work for Soft Water Service Co., a Culligan franchise business his father, RE (Cudge) Ellingwood Sr. started after moving to Spokane. Dick became the President of Soft Water Service Co. upon the retirement of his father in 1963. He was a member of Rotary Club #21 joining in 1956, he was club President from 1971-1972, he traveled to Australia as a Group Study Exchange Leader, he attended two International Conventions, hosted one foreign exchange student and one vocational exchange participant, is a Paul Harris Fellow and a recipient of the Fred K Jones Memorial Award.
Dick served on many boards during his career including the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Washington Business, the YMCA where he received the Red Triangle Award for service to youth, the AAA of Spokane, Camp Fire Girls, Goodwill Industries, Spokane Convention and Visitors Bureau, Junior Achievement, the Metropolitan Board, Washington Mutual Bank, and the Water Conditioning Dealers Association. He served as the Campaign Chairmen for State Rep Dick Bond. His close friends and family jokingly referred to him as “Civic Leader #1”.
In April of 1983 Dick and Fran divorced. In September of 1987 Dick married his wife Linda and helped raise her children, Samantha Winchell and Stacey Johnson. After the sale of his business Dick and Linda moved to Wickenburg AZ. He and Linda enjoyed many activities including water and snow skiing, flying, motorcycle riding, racquetball, power boating, ATVing, horseback riding, sailing, woodworking, quilting, their grandchildren and their two dogs Benji and Murphy.
He is survived by his wife of 32 years Linda; his previous wife Fran, his children, Kit (Sheri), Brook (Diane), Samantha (Darren) all of Spokane, John (Lynn) Kirkland and Stacey (Larry) of Phoenix, his 12 grandchildren, Jordan, Ross, Lauren, Rianne, Rachel, Olivia, Ethan, Tyler, Kenzie, Jamie, Shawn, and Robbie, 4 great grandchildren, and 2 sisters, Ruth Dorman, LaCrosse WA and Joyce Lee, Vero Beach FL as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; Cudge and Ruth and 2 sisters; Mary Smith and Janet Belmondo.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Dick’s name to the Spokane YMCA.
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