Skip Ellinger Memorial Service

A celebration of the life of Skip Ellinger, retired Madison Area Technical College photography instructor, will be held at the Maple Tree Restaurant, 6010 Highway 51 in McFarland on Sunday, February 13, starting at 1 p.m.

Bruce Michael "Skip" Ellinger, age 68, passed away surrounded by his wife Marcia and good friends Carl Riemer and Elizabeth Simon on Thursday, January 20, at Meriter Hospital in Madison.

He was born on January 12, 1943, in Neenah, a son of Millard and Anna Marie (Jones) Ellinger. On December 8, 1986, he was united in marriage to Marcia Reeve at the Palmer House in Chicago. Skip graduated from St. Mary's High School in Neenah in 1961. He attended Marquette University until enlisting in the Navy, where he worked as an electronics technician.

Skip came to Madison to attend the UW and graduated with a B.A. in journalism in 1971. He worked briefly at WISC-TV and the UW News Service before joining the Madison College Art Department as a photography teacher. At Madison College, he was instrumental in developing the photography classes into a separate degree program. Skip was voted Outstanding Teacher of the Year for 1991 - 92. He retired from teaching in 2004, periodically returning to WISC as a photojournalist.

Skip is survived by his wife, Marcia Reeve; his cat "Peanut"; a brother, Brian (Barb) of Wauwatosa; and many, many friends and acquaintances. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Donations may be made to the Madison College Foundation or to Dane County Humane Society. Skip will always be remembered as a creative, gentle and generous man with a unique wit and an incredible sense of humor.