Earl Fredrick George Ellwein was born November 5th, 1949 to Earl and Grace Ellwein of Sidney, Montana. He attended Sidney Schools and graduated in 1967 from Sidney High School. He was very proud of his diploma and the Sidney Eagles. He loved to listen to his brother Arch (the voice of the Eagles) giving play by play on all the sports events. After high school he attended Dawson College graduating May of 1969.

Earl had a golden heart. He was a friend to everyone, and once he befriended you, it was for life. Earl had many passions in life with many hobbies. He loved reading, sports and sports history, sci-fi movies, and collected comic books. Marvel books were his favorite. When he was younger, he could not stay in one place for very long. He was always up for adventures - going to concerts with his friends and road trips to anywhere. His friend even wrote a book about him which he treasured greatly.

His love for sports was huge. He could tell you about games from years gone by; the best players, the score, and who was injured. Whenever anyone would stop by and sports came up, you could plan on being there for some time and it didn’t matter if it was tennis, soccer, golf, hockey, baseball, or football - he had info on it all.

Earl worked at Pacific Hide and Fur for many years, before starting employment at Holly Sugar, where he worked until his retirement. He spoke fondly of both places, and the stories he told about both places was with such heart.

He was very proud of his sobriety and enjoyed attending meetings. When he couldn’t attend the meetings anymore, he visited with his neighbors and friends that were also sober. Earl always encouraged others on the journey of health.

He moved to Crestwood in November 2019, right next door to his mother. He made many friends and was very social. Earl attended many gatherings; especially the ones that had pies. He enjoyed his sweets. He spent Sunday mornings with his mother (mama as he called her). They shared breakfast and watched church on TV. His faith was a big part of his life.

When his health started to decline, the visiting nurse started coming. He loved his visits with Cindy Irigoen. She made his day when she’d bring him a new hat or a sweet treat. Most recently he enjoyed visits with nurse Darce. They were friends for many years and shared a great bond. Earl also very much enjoyed the time he spent with his friend Brenda from Richland County Health Department, especially their long discussions about life.

Earl was in the care of Kandi for many years. The laughs and banter they shared was special whether it was a conversation over sports or just life in general. He was a big part of Kandi’s family, an adopted older brother of sorts. He looked forward to seeing her daily even if he was grumpy. Earl enjoyed teasing Kandi’s family, Lindsey in particular, nicknaming her “stinky.” He enjoyed visits from Tim and Cody and always tried conning them into an adventure or Copenhagen. He especially enjoyed visits from Kandi’s grandson, Waylon.

Earl passed away peacefully on Sunday September 11, 2022 at his home, right where he wanted to be; in his recliner with ESPN Sports on the TV.

Earl is survived by his mother Grace, many cousins, aunts, uncles and friends, especially Brett Smelter, Billie Meyer, John Palmer, and many others at Crestwood. He is preceded in death by his father Earl, brothers Anthony and Archer, and sister Louise.