Eleanor "Ellie" Frazetta

[spider9698]

July 17, 2009, East Stroudsburg PA: Eleanor 'Ellie' Frazetta, the

wife of celebrated artist Frank Frazetta, passed away today to be with

the Lord after a courageous one-year battle with cancer.

 

Eleanor Kelly was born in Massachusetts and moved to New York where

she married Frank in November, 1956. She acted as his business

partner as well as his lifelong companion. Known for her feisty

personality as well as her intuitive business acumen, she was

instrumental in successfully establishing record prices for Frank's

work throughout her life.

 

She is survived by her husband Frank, her four children, Frank Jr.,

Billy, Holly and Heidi, numerous grandchildren, and many friends.

 

A public memorial is planned and details will be announced

shortly. In the meantime, the family requests privacy.

 

Rob Pistella

Stephen Ferzoco

On behalf of the Frazetta Family

 

[PeasOfCrap]

oh wow. my thoughts and prayers are with the family.

[s-man]

RIP.

[Jayman]

So sad! I met her only once at a visit to the Frazetta museum years ago and she was more than gracious to me and the rest of my group. In fact when she realized that we were art students, she pulled out some of Frank's watercolors that were not on display to show us!

 

[Mutant Manatee]

That is really sad. I didn't even know she was sick. She was so incredibly nice to me when I visited the Frazetta museum in 2003.

 

Her and Frank were an awesome couple who obviously loved each other very much. I know this has to be devastating for the Frazetta family.

[TupennyConan]

Prayers go out to the family.

[zuckuss2003]

Sad news indeed, my thoughts are with the family.

[DiceX]

That is so sad. My condolences go out to the family.

I was never fortunate enough to meet her, but I've never heard anything but what a wonderful lady she was.

 

 

[Bronty]

that's terrible... RIP

[Theagenes]

That's very sad news. My condolences to the Frazetta family.

[Rino]

Sad news indeed.

[ivegotneatstuff]

I am so glad I could meet her with my bro... very sad. She was really nice

[Count]

[RockMyAmadeus]

What a firecracker. She'll be missed.

[bronzilla]

What a firecracker. She'll be missed.

 

Wow!! Tuff loss for the Family!!

My condolences.

[rednalsram]

Thank you for posting the passing of Ellie.

 

It is sad that Ellie has passed, yet it is comforting to know

that she will no longer be in pain from that horrible disease.

 

Those that have had a parent go through life with Cancer, and

have been a caregiver, know the release is a welcome one, and

a experience they would never trade.

 

She was such a positive force for Frank, and her children.

I hope Frank can hold on. His family, and many, many fans,

artists, and friends need him.

 

My best goes out to the family.

[chainnball]

I was truly blessed to be invited in their home a couple times and will treasure the memories. She was a pleasure to know and will be missed!

[Mutant Manatee]

In June of 2003, after being Frazetta fans for virtually our entire lives, my old high school buddy Dan and I decided to take the plunge and road trip 850 miles to the Frazetta Museum. It rained cats and dogs for the entire drive, but that didn't dampen our spirits much because we were destined for our mecca. When we finally arrived at the museum on Saturday morning it was still raining like crazy. We made a mad dash for the museum doors and were immediately greated by Ellie Frazetta upon our entrance.

 

This woman was friendly and engaging beyond my wildest expectations. She asked us million questions about where we were from, had we been there before, and how did we become fans. She seemed to take a genuine interest in us. From the stories I've heard she treats all of the museum visitors in the same manner. In a way, we were fortunate that the weather was so bad because were were the only two visitors there and we had Ellie all to ourselves.

 

Here are a couple of photos of myself, Ellie, and my friend Dan at the museum:

 

There was one other person in the museum that day, Arnie Fenner. He is the editor of several books about Frazetta, including the wonderful Icon, Legacy, and Testament books. We chatted with him for a while and he told us that he was there discussing another book possibility with the Frazetta's. The next day when we were at the museum after Arnie had left, we mentioned to Ellie that Arnie told us that he was there to discuss the possibility of another book. She said, "Yes, he wants to publish a book of all the nude photographs of me that Frank has taken over the years!" She told us that she had been thinking about it and praying about it, and that she had decided that she didn't want the photos to be published. I expressed my understanding and support for her decision, but in the back of my mind I might have been slightly disappointed. In retrospect I think it was probably the best decision though.

 

She was a remarkable woman, no doubt about it. I highly recommend the "Painting with Fire" documentary for those of you who haven't seen it. Parts of it will give you an idea of how feisty she was. I think much of Frank's continued popularity and success is due to her business savvy.

 

 

 

 

 

[short_box-migration]

Ellie was great the time my wife and I went to the museum. One minute we're talking about our personal life with her, the next she's holding a USA Today with a pic of the new Conan video game, saying "we had to give them a little call, they used one of Frank's pieces without our permission". Rest in peace.

 

 

[spider9698]

An update from the family:

 

The Frazetta family is extremely appreciative of the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time. Funeral services will be private for family only. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following:

VNA Hospice of Monroe County

502 Independence Road

East Stroudsburg, PA 18301