Ellsworth Likkel

Ellsworth (Ell) Likkel passed away peacefully on the evening of Sunday, December 21, 2014, surrounded by family. Ell was born in Corsica, South Dakota, on July 28, 1932, and was the seventh of eight children born to William and Anna Likkel. The family moved to Lynden, Washington, when Ell was a young boy. He married Marlene Osier on April 26, 1957, in Bellingham, Washington. They were married until her passing on March 13, 2001. He missed her dearly every day after her death. As a young man, Ell served in the Air Force for four years as a cook. He worked at a lumberyard after returning to Lynden, and then went to work as a Greyhound bus driver where he enjoyed driving up and down the west coast and meeting new people every day. He worked for Greyhound for more than 30 years and received many \u0026quot;safe driver\u0026quot; awards. Early in their marriage, Ell and Marlene moved to Oregon and settled in Milwaukie. They made a good life in Oregon and enjoyed many blessings together including their children, grandchildren and friends. They enjoyed traveling in their camper, which was the focal point of family vacations. They went camping on the Clackamas river and the Oregon coast, took trips to British Columbia to see their good friends, the Starkenburgs, and went to California, including Disneyland. Later in their lives during retirement, they traveled to Yuma, Arizona, in their fifth wheel trailer to escape the Northwest winter weather. Ell is survived by three children - Kristi McWilliams (Tim), Sherri Brown (Mark) and Jim Likkel (Julie) and six grandchildren: Adam Kraushaar, Megan McWilliams, Lauren Brown, Christopher Brown, Sara Likkel and Eryn Likkel. He is also survived by his brother Francis Likkel (Jan), sisters Geraldine Kooy and Carol Early, and sister-in-law Ruth Likkel. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marlene, a daughter who died at birth, two brothers (Gerritt and Rodney) and two sisters (Margaret DeWaard and Regina Bode). There will be a service at Willamette National Cemetery onTuesday, December 30th, at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ell\u0027s memory to Christ the Vine Lutheran Church, 18677 SE Hwy 212, Damascus, Oregon, 97089, where he and Marlene were members."",