Ellen Mellick

Ellen M. Mellick, 83, of Waukon, IA, died Saturday, September 6, 2025, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO. Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 20th , at 11:00 AM at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Philip Agyei officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may greet the family from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Friday, September 19th , at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon, where there will be a 3:30 PM scripture service. The service will also be livestreamed on the funeral home's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/martinfunerals .

Ellen Marie Mellick was born in Indianapolis, IN, on July 24, 1942, to James Noel and Helen (Noell) Noel. She was the eldest of three children, with James Noel, her brother, and Phyllis (Noel) Trier, her sister. From an early age, Ellen carried a deep sense of responsibility, kindness, and care that would define the way she lived her life.

She attended St. Joan of Arc Catholic School and St. Agnes Academy. She went on to pursue her lifelong calling in nursing, earning her degree from St. Vincent Hospital's School of Nursing. While working full time as a registered nurse, she continued her education at Saint Louis University, completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It was during that time she was introduced to Jim Mellick on a blind date. The two quickly knew they had found something special, and they were married at the Old Cathedral in St. Louis, MO, on August 20, 1966.

Ellen and Jim began their married life in St. Louis, where she worked as a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital. Their family soon began to grow with the birth of their first child, Mary Beth. In 1968, the family moved to Jim's hometown of Waukon, IA, where they welcomed two more children, Michael and Kevin. Above all else, Ellen lived for her family, with her greatest joy being a wife, mother, and later grandmother, always creating a warm and loving home.

Over the course of more than four decades, Ellen built a remarkable career as a nurse, known not only for her skill, but also for her compassion. She worked with Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health in Decorah, IA, and later returned to school at the University of Iowa, where she earned her Master of Arts in Nursing. She dedicated much of the 1990s to teaching undergraduate nursing students at Viterbo University, inspiring the next generation of nurses with both her knowledge and her gentle, encouraging spirit. Later in her career, she served as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, counseling patients in Decorah and through the Gundersen and Mayo Clinic Health Systems in La Crosse, WI.

Ellen touched countless lives with her kindness and care, whether through her nursing, her teaching, or simply the way she made those around her feel loved. She was steady, patient, and deeply devoted, with a quiet strength that uplifted her family and all who knew her. She lived a life centered on faith, compassion, and love, and her legacy will forever be found in the family she cherished and the many lives she helped heal.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Jim; her three children, Mary Beth, Michael (Wisdom), and Kevin (Jenn); her granddaughter, Talia; her sister, Phyllis (Bob) Trier; her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Tom and Mary Mellick; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, James Noel and Helen (Noel) Avery, and her brother, James Noel.

Donations in memory of Ellen can be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Nurses Foundation, or Saint Louis University School of Nursing.