Franklin Courtney Ellis, Jr

April 5th , 1932 ~ September 17th , 2023

Franklin Courtney Ellis Jr. was born in Rochester, New York on April 5, 1932 to parents
Franklin Courtney Ellis Sr. and Marcella Mettler Ellis. Frank was a beloved, unique, one-of-a-
kind human being. He lived a long, healthy, joyful life with his one true love, Sandra Townsend Ellis, his wife of 56 years. Together Frank and Sandy lived a life committed to service toward people, creatures, and a planet in need. After their marriage in 1967, Frank and Sandy moved to Puerto Rico where Frank began a job in city planning. In Puerto Rico, they learned Spanish, adventured throughout the Caribbean, and began their family with the birth of twin girls. Upon returning from Puerto Rico, Frank began his career as a music teacher in Troy, New York. Just two years later the family moved to Carpinteria, California where Frank and Sandy began teaching at the Cate School. They were blessed with two more girls over the next three years for a total of four daughters. 

Frank adored his daughters.
Frank loved life. In spite of his worries for the environment and for the future of our planet,
Frank found beauty and joy in nature, family, theater, music, and gatherings. He loved nothing more than a special occasion to come together with friends and family to share a meal, to philosophize, to spout his ideals regarding politics, policy, and “progress”. He liked to believe he was “solving the problems of the world,” one conversation at a time.

Always ready to break into song, Frank was an enthusiastic performer and entertainer. He had a passion for musical theater and folk artists such as Pete Seeger and The Weavers. Frank directed plays, conducted the choir, played the organ and piano, and taught music theory during his career as music director at the Cate School. He composed many songs of his own with meaningful lyrics and dreamed about writing a Broadway musical sensation. Frank was a dreamer who believed fiercely in happy endings. He leapt at any opportunity to sing and perform for an audience, soaking up the applause with pleasure. No matter how big or small the crowd, he simply loved an audience.

Frank was an active man and outdoor enthusiast who had boundless reserves of strength and
energy in his prime. His outdoor passions included: skiing, ice skating, horseback riding, bike
riding, sailing, swimming, canoeing, windsurfing, and in the last chapter of his life walking. He
was known by all in their small mountain community for his perseverance until the end. Frank
walked every day. Even the need for a walker couldn’t deter him from a short, slow daily stroll.
He loved the fresh air, the birds’ songs, the big blue sky, and most of all meeting people along
his route, who would stop and listen to the stories he had to share. Frank loved to tell his stories, and people found him fascinating. They would indulge his appetite, keenly listening to his every word as he reminisced or preached his gospel for environmental justice.

From an early age, Frank was devoted to the natural world. He loved Earth with reverence, awe, and curiosity. From the peace of a loon’s call to the intricate beauty of the stars above, Frank considered nature a mysterious and wonderful gift. He was in constant amazement of creation: the artistry of a spider’s web, the iridescence of a dragonfly, the ephemeral brilliance of a sunset. An idealist and a seeker, Frank was a role model in ideas and ideals to many. A fanatic recycler and believer that humans could make a difference, Frank worshipped the divine beauty of nature. He was known to swoon over a flock of Canadian geese, a soaring Turkey vulture, a diving osprey, or a perched great blue heron, statuesque and perfect.

Throughout life, Frank forged lasting connections with people through music. He claimed that he could teach anyone to sing and that he would offer sailing lessons to any jet ski rider on the
Canadian lake he loved. Frank was a teacher at heart. He was desperate to teach, and thus
convert all of humanity to his ideals, which would mean a world filled with song and wind-
powered transportation. His quest for harmony in the world and a balance of human life with
nature was the melody which fueled his crusade to save the planet.

Frank’s spirit will live on in the people and places he loved. He will be remembered for his
kindness, his gentle nature, his strong principles, his song, and his passion for Earth. Frank was a character, unique in all ways. He taught us to look closely, to find beauty in porcupines, spiders, and Turkey vultures; to love the wind, water, and rocks; to be gracious; to wonder and to celebrate life. Frank was a treasure, pure gold, and he will be sorely missed.

Frank is survived by his wife, Sandra Townsend Ellis, four daughters and their families: Rebecca Ellis White, husband Andre White and children Brea, Jaeda, Quintessa, Shalief, and Andre Jr. White; Amy Ellis; Terri Ellis and her wife Aimee Ellis; and Jeannie Ellis Pelletier, her husband Dave Pelletier and children Dylan and Julia Pelletier. He is also survived by his younger brother, Garry Ellis and his family.