Mick Ellis

It is with broken hearts that we have to say goodbye to our beloved Mick. Our husband, father, friend, grandfather - our rock, Mick. Mick died on August 18th after a short illness from cancer. He loved life and his family beyond measure. Mick is survived by his wife and best friend of 54 years, Lorraine; his children, Erin (Dany Robidoux), Mike (Kathleen Coventry), and Dan; grandchildren, Malcolm and Gillian; brothers, Peter (Maria Theodorou) and Colin (Susan); sisters-in-law, Linda Gibson and Lynne Gibson; and 9 nieces and nephews along with their children.

Mick has been an actor, a woodworker, a musician, a consummate fix-it guy and DIY dude, an artist, a media studies pioneer, a beer-maker, a gardener, a student, a teacher, and above all a dad and husband. He had an appreciation for everyday joys, every day. “Oh man, that’s good!” he would exclaim over each evening cup of coffee. If he could creatively salvage something into usefulness the whole day was “great!” Relentlessly positive and gifted with seemingly endless energy, nothing was ever too much trouble for him. He showed his care through action, perpetually willing to lend a helping hand, especially to his (sometimes needy) family.

He was an educator who left a lasting impression on students and colleagues. Many former students from his years teaching at Evan Hardy Collegiate and running audio-visual programs through the Saskatoon School Board have sought him out to reconnect and share the ways he impacted them as a teacher. He truly was a pioneer in his field, creating lasting programs such as Telemedia.

Mick was a dedicated environmental steward, and ingrained the ethos of reduce, re-use, recycle into his children. More recently, he described saving energy as his hobby, and he derived great joy from checking the energy production of his solar panels every day.

We are bereft, but Mick loved life and so we will strive to carry on that tradition, at times through bleary eyes, however working to live with joy in our hearts, one scrap piece of wood re-purposed or quiet morning savouring a good book at a time.

A Celebration of Mick’s life will be held at Glass and Lumber, 432 20th St. W, on Sunday, September 15th from 1-5 p.m., presentation at 2 p.m. Mick had an intense dislike of formal wear, so please wear whatever you’re comfortable in.

Charitable giving was important to Mick, so rather than flowers, if you would like, his family suggests that a tribute donation is a loving way to honour him. Some of his favourite charities included: Doctors Without Borders, Meewasin Valley Authority, and EGadz. (Also, hug your loved ones and unplug your not-in-use appliances.)