Ellen Stixrude, age 89, of Newark, DE passed away peacefully on Friday, March 9, 2018 surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Oldenburg/Holstein, Germany in 1928 to the late Paul Felsch and Dorothea Jacobsen.

Ellen graduated from the Freiherr von Stein gymnasium in 1947 with an abitur degree in Math. During her school years and beyond she was an avid sports enthusiast who loved to swim in the nearby Baltic Sea, she participated in track meets as a high jumper and middle-distance runner, and was an active member of a handball team.

She and her mother came to the US in 1957 where they joined her sister, Lore in Bay Shore, Long Island. Two years later, the three women moved to Newark, DE where Ellen took a job at the University of Delaware in the Cashier’s office. In 1960, she and her future husband, David, met in the Continuing Education class in Elementary Spanish that David was teaching. Ellen and David were married in the First Presbyterian Church in Newark in 1962. The couple had three children. When the children were old enough, Ellen held various jobs at the University and the Bank of New York. She was active with the Fairfield Swim Club while the children were on the swim team. Her other interests included the Delaware Sangerbund where she was a member of the DSB singers and she also participated in Oktoberfest activities.

Ellen is survived by her husband, David Stixrude and her three children: Lars Stixrude, Sandy Stixrude, and Tina Onufer. She was also “Oma” to four grandchildren.

A memorial will be held in Ellen’s honor at 11am on Friday, March 16, 2018 at R.T. Foard & Jones Funeral Home, 122 W. Main St., Newark, DE 19711, where family and friends may visit beginning at 10:30am. Burial will follow at Head of Christiana Cemetery.