1/2/1948 – 11/6/2024
Eagan, MN
With heavy hearts the Ellenbecker family and friends share the loss of Mike Ellenbecker. Michael Ellenbecker was born on January 2, 1948. He was the second of ten siblings and grew up working the fields, hunting, butchering chickens, pitting cherries and raising capons on a farm just outside of Marysville, KS. He went to school at Kansas State University and Lutherie School in Phoenix, AZ. He lived in Lawrence KS, working as a carpenter, enjoying friends, food, and music before moving to St. Paul, Minnesota after meeting his future wife, Barb. They enjoyed raising their two sons, Ben and Jackson while traveling and spending time outdoors. They visited every state in the continental US and traveled throughout Mexico, Central and South America, Europe and Australia. Mike continued to hone his craft, working as a carpenter while building a lake cabin on the edge of the Minnesota Boundary Waters.
On November 6, 2024, Mike passed away peacefully at home after a short battle with cancer. He left us far too soon. Mike was a talented father, carpenter, craftsman, and luthier. He was the ‘deeper well’ for all those who recognized his broad range of knowledge and views of food, cooking, music, history, politics, farming, and fishing. He loved to read. Mike had a strong passion for causes and quickly identified bullsh_ _ with an eye roll. He saw people for who they truly were, without bias. Mike’s greatest talent was that of being a father to Ben and Jackson. He shared his passions while validating theirs.
Mike is survived by his wife, Barb and his two sons, Ben and Jackson, his sister in-law, Sherri and siblings, Celeste (Hal), Sandra (Brad), Robyn (Lee), MaryKay (John) and Denise (Alan), Phillip and his nieces and nephews; Bix, Ginger, Max, Hallie, Zach, Aaron, Coleman, Adam, Austin, Sydney, Allison, Casey, Shea, Colby, Dylan and Emily and great nieces and nephews: Buck, Winnie, Virginia, Archie, Margo, Scarlett, Theo, Daphne, Liam, Elena, Nora, Leo, Andrew and life long friends. He is also survived by his many brothers and sister-in-laws and nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Eileen “Babe” and siblings, Dennis, Dwight, and Joe.
A celebration of Mike’s life will be held Saturday, Nov 30th, 2:00 – 5:00 at Johnny’s Tavern in the Up and Under room (401 N 2nd St, Lawrence, KS)
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