Paul Ellingsen Obituary (1929 – 2021) – La Jolla, CA

Paul N. Ellingsen
December 15, 1929 – August 5, 2021
La Jolla
Paul N. Ellingsen, 91, died peacefully on August 5, 2021 in Glenbrook, La Costa. Paul’s remarkable life was shaped by his philanthropy, thirst for adventure, carefree humor, and natural artistry. A true bon vivant, his sociable, happy, sweet and open-minded personality was loved by everyone. Born on December 15, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, to Sophie Lockrem Peterson and Harald FJ Ellingsen, he was the youngest of four children, including Harald Jr., Phillip, and Ruth. He grew up in Chicago and attended Lane Tech High, the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and the Art Institute of Chicago. During the Korean War, he served as the army supply officer on the front lines. Paul began his career buying the Arlington Heights Nursing Home in Illinois, but soon tired of Midwestern winters and moved his young family to Upland, Calif. In 1961, and then to La Jolla, Calif. Nursing home business in 1964, which serves both Cloisters of The Valley and Cloisters of La Jolla. Always eager to expand his operations, Paul designed and built a hotel in downtown La Jolla, operating first as Ellingsen Court, a guest house, and later as Hotel La Jolla, a full service hotel. He also built and managed the Chateau La Jolla, which still exists today as a retirement community. Other projects included an award-winning restoration of a dilapidated building that is now the Del Mar Library and franchises like ReMax offices and Soup Exchange restaurants. He loved being part of his local community and was proud to be elected to the Rancho Santa Fe board of directors. He also served at Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club, where he served as Sergeant of Arms and kept members busy with his weekly humorous “news” reports. Other memberships were the Rest and Aspiration Society (“We don’t strive for nothing so we can hardly miss it”) and the Laurel & Hardy Sons of the Desert Club. Paul lived on the sunny side of life and was always very funny and funny. He was a master at spoonerisms. He never shied away from the limelight, whether stepping up to the microphone to sing in piano bars or playing characters like Frankenstein or Santa Claus. His daily fashion decisions were also striking: from checked golf trousers to Hawaiian shirts, he was not afraid of bright colors, but he also loved to be the image of elegance in a tasteful suit, always with a matching pocket square in his breast pocket. He enjoyed a party, a good drink and a fine cigar. Billiards, card games, chess and Scrabble were also some of his favorite pastimes. Travel, concerts, professional sports, theater, whatever, he liked it. He enjoyed a lifelong love of art. As a keen visual artist, he painted numerous landscapes, portraits and Gaugin reproductions; he also mastered the trompe l’oeil. He also enjoyed music greatly and was known to sing spontaneously opera songs, often adding his own humorous lyrics. The La Jolla Chamber Music Society hosted two Summer Party Galas at his beloved Rancho Santa Fe estate; he enjoyed watching world-class pianists play on the family’s Bsendorfer grand piano, on which he also played a single melody, the extravagant “Rustles of Spring”. Paul was a lover of many sports, including boating, tennis, and especially golf. He was a member of the La Jolla Country Club and the Rancho Santa Fe Country Club. He won the annual jewel tournament at La Jolla Country Club twice and was also proud to have scored a hole-in-one there.

He loved telling stories about interacting with numerous celebrities throughout his life, from a round of golf with Bob Hope to art classes with Leroy Neiman. As diverse as he was, his family was always at the center of his deepest love and pride. His children remember the many adventures he enjoyed going on with them, including dune buggy rides in the desert, sailing on a catamaran, or displaying the golf course rules on wild night golf cart rides by the giant sprinklers. Not only did he share his sense of adventure and joie de vivre, but he also deeply supported the different paths and talents of his children and always showed that each of his children was special, worthy and loved. Paul leaves behind his sixteen-year-old wife, Anne Lauder of Rancho Santa Fe, and seven children, including Paul N. Ellingsen, Jr., Randi de Garmo, Steven Ellingsen, Sally Wright, Monique Ramsey, Aimee Ellingsen, and Lisa Ellingsen. He also leaves sixteen grandchildren: Brandon Ellingsen, Amanda Ellingsen, Chelsea Ellingsen, Lauren Williams, Wade Williams, Ashley Williams, Nicole Williams, Dan Williams, Emily Ellingsen, Nathaniel Ellingsen, Andrew Ellingsen, Carson Wright, Preston Wright, John Ramsey, Julia Ramsey and Marcel Krekelberg. Paul’s life is celebrated in a private get-together with family and friends on August 28th. Rotary International can be donated to commemorate Paul. Please sign up in the guest book online at Legacy.com/obituaries/lajollalight

Published by La Jolla Light on August 26, 2021.