Obituaries
Jody Ellis, Feb. 14 Yvonne P. Vigil, Feb. 16
Jody Ellis, beloved cello teacher and music coach to many Santa Feans, died on Valentine’s Day at age 92. Cheerful, curious and engaging to the end, she welcomed friends daily who stopped by to chew the fat, have a cup of coffee and laugh.
Jody was raised by her grandparents in Sterling, Colorado. After attending MacMurray College in Illinois, she went to Kansas to earn her nursing degree from St. Francis School of Nursing. She was a special duty nurse at St. Vincent’s Hospital on Palace before joining the Air Force in 1950 (serving in Germany during the Korean War). Jody returned to Santa Fe in 1953. With her $250 "muster-out" money, she bought La Placita Bon Bon Shop in Sena Plaza. The candy store was popular and she quickly made friends with many locals. She sold it in 1956 and for the next 12 years worked as a secretary for NM Game and Fish.
In 1969 Jody co-founded Ellis Research with Marcia Muth, who became her life partner. Together they provided research assistance for writers. They founded the Sunstone Review, a quarterly literary magazine and shortly thereafter, Sunstone Press. Ellis and Muth encouraged many local poets and authors, developing deep ties to the community and establishing enduring friendships.
Jody converted to Judaism because of Marcia. For a period she served as President and then Executive Director of Temple Beth Shalom before leaving to join Temple Bait Tikva in 2000. Throughout these years Jody painted miniatures, exhibiting and winning prizes in the U.S. and England. Also, she authored and published a book titled The ABC’s of Successful Living.
In her 50’s Jody accomplished yet another great achievement: she learned to play the cello. Eventually she became a music teacher and in 1980 she and Anne-Lise Cohen founded the Santa Fe Community Orchestra. Jody was a cellist in the orchestra for nearly 30 years! Ellis Music Studio was a thriving center of the Santa Fe music community. Lessons with Jody were wildly inspiring and loads of fun- for example, a lesson might end with a game of ping pong.
Her enthusiasm for teaching was matched with a love of composing. For full orchestra, she composed pieces such as Shattered Dreams (memorializing 911), Too Late (a lament to the mistreatment of Native American culture), and Valles Caldera. When she died she had a light opera and a chamber music piece in the works.
Jody’s passion for Santa Fe-friends, pets, music-and life itself, was boundless. She had a wicked sense of humor. She was quick to tease and not shy to break into song. She will be remembered by many as a great inspiration, limitless in her ability to love and to laugh. A memorial will take place on Wednesday, March 28, from 4-7 pm. at Joe’s Diner on Rodeo Road.