Earl William ‘Bill’ Ellisen

September 1, 1932 – May 19, 2020

Bill Ellisen, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away at home after a battle with leukemia. He was 87. We lost a really good man.

Bill was a native San Franciscan, born September 1st, 1932. His father, a native Norwegian, was a building contractor, and his mother trained as a nurse. Bill attended public schools in the City and graduated from Lincoln High in 1950. He then attended City College, after which he enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving in Japan toward the end of the Korean conflict.

After his military service was completed in 1955, Bill joined his parents at North Lake Tahoe, to help run the Edgelake Beach Resort, which had been purchased by the family. Bill sometimes speculated that the reason the family bought the resort was because it reminded his father of the Norwegian countryside.

Since Edgelake was strictly a summer resort, Bill chose to continue his education in the off season, and enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno, in the civil engineering program. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1960.

1959 also saw the untimely death of his father, Earl, at the age of 62. Consequently, management of Edgelake fell to Bill, his mother, and brother Greg. 1960 was a big year for Bill and the family. Bill opened the resort in the winter for the first time, to accommodate guests attending the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. It was also in 1960 that Bill met Janet, the love of his life. Janet’s love of the Tahoe region was confirmed when she also worked the Olympics, at the Tahoe Tavern. Afterwards, Janet accepted a teaching position in Kings Beach, where she and Bill were introduced in May, by the Ferrari family. They were married on 9/17/60, at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in town.

With their first child on the way, Bill then chose the educational route once again, and acquired his teaching credential.

Son Eric was born in 1961, Leif in 1962, Patrick in 1964, and daughter Lisa in 1965. Between the kids, the resort, and Bill’s budding educational career, Bill and Janet had their hands full!

Lifelong education was one of Bill’s hallmarks.

His first assignment in the Tahoe-Truckee district was at Kings Beach Elementary School in 1962. After a year at Kings Beach, Bill moved to Truckee High School, where he spent ten years as a math teacher. During this time, Bill returned to school to acquire his masters’ degree in counseling and switched to full-time guidance counseling in 1973. Then followed ten years of counseling, the acquisition of an administrative credential, and the balance of his career spent as a principal and administrator at three schools in North Tahoe. He retired in 1999, after 37 years of service to Tahoe-Truckee Schools.

After Edgelake sold in 1977, the family moved to Incline Village, where Bill and Janet saw their kids off to college, then stayed there until Bill’s retirement.

1995 started the next phase of Bill and Janet’s life together, with the arrival of their first grandchild, Ryan. Ultimately, there were six grandchildren, and they were and are the light of Bill and Janet’s lives.

As with his educational career, Bill was always striving, learning, and exploring. Foreign language was a primary focus, particularly Spanish. This was because, after their honeymoon spent in Acapulco, Bill, Janet, and the family made Ensenada, in Baja California, their main vacation spot. They returned to Ensenada at least yearly, sometimes more, for the next 50-plus years. Bill also dabbled with French, and Italian, the latter to prepare for a European adventure in 2005. Anything Bill became interested in, he studied, and practiced. This included bowling, and even gambling! He relished the opportunity to accompany grandson Ryan to ‘the tables’ once he came of age.

Bill was also an avid fly fisherman, and took many trips to the Fall River, with son Patrick, and the grandkids. He and Janet also traveled extensively with Leif’s family, including to Hawaii, Boston, Montreal, New York, and Washington DC. In 2017 Bill returned to the family farm in Norway for the first time in nearly 70 years, a trip marked by gracious hosting from his extended family.

Bill is survived by Janet, his wife of 60 years, children Eric (Debra), Leif (Michael), Pat (Deborah), and Lisa; grandchildren Ryan, Patrick, Connor, Nathan, Colin, and Rachel; several nieces and nephews; and a contingent of cousins from Norway. He was predeceased by his parents Earl and Gerta, and his brother Greg. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider a donation to your favorite charity in Bill’s name.

A celebration of life is tentatively scheduled for August 1st, in Kings Beach. For more information, please contact Lisa at lisakmaund@yahoo.com.

Rest in peace, Dad.