David Jon Ellingsen - Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory

David Jon Ellingsen

December 29, 1961 - August 7, 2014

David Jon Ellingsen, age 52, of Elkton, MD, passed away at Christiana Hospital on the evening of August 7, 2014 after a heart attack that morning while at work at Porter Infiniti in Newark, Delaware. The family would like to express its sincere gratitude to the management and staff of Porter Infiniti who came to David’s aid instantly, and to the staff of Christiana Hospital for doing everything they could afterward.

David worked as an auto technician for more than thirty years and had become a Master ASE Technician (L1 Certified). In November of 2013, David was recognized by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence as the Infiniti/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year. Throughout his career, David took a special interest in helping new auto technicians with their emerging careers, training and mentoring them, particularly on the organizational and soft skills that are not always covered in detail in technical schools. To this end, David wrote a book entitled, “The Auto Tech’s Handbook: An Insider’s Guide to Life in the Repair Business.” The book was published in 2012 and is being adopted for use in technical training centers throughout the U.S.

David was known by a wide circle of friends for his warm personality and great sense of humor. At regular Saturday night dinners with the family, he was the one who got everyone laughing. He was an avid golfer who often challenged his father to matches at local courses, where David shot usually in the low 80’s, occasionally in the 70’s.

David was preceded in death by his daughter, Ashley. He is survived by his wife Shirl; seven-year-old granddaughter, Lily; parents, Walter and Mary Lou; brother, Warren and sister-in-law Donna; nephews, Blake and Leif; sister, Sandra and brother-in-law John; and step-daughters, Misty and Heather and their families.

Friends and relatives are invited to an open house in memory of David, to be held at the home of Walter and Mary Lou Ellingsen, 130 London Tract Road, Landenberg, Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 16, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., where we will be celebrating David’s life and sharing stories from his past.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in support of David’s granddaughter to the Lily Scully Fund, 95 Starling Lane, Elkton, MD 21921.

For online condolences, please feel free to visit www.facebook.com/David.J.Ellingsen, and/or sign the guest book at www.spicermullikin.com.

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13 Condolences for David Jon Ellingsen

  • Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dave’s wife and entire family. We’ve been fortunate enough to know Dave for serval years as he worked along side my husband at Porter Infiniti. He had an infectous smile and always full of stories. He will be missed.

  • Seeing this really hurts me a lot to see. I worked with Dave at Infiniti a few years back during my college years and we spoke quite often. Once I graduated from school and landed a job in my field, I would occassionally stop up to the dealership to speak with some of my old colleagues. He would always ask how I been and jokily call me the “College boy with the money” and other things along that line. Always had good conversations and positive vibes when I seen him. The last time I seen him was last month when I was at Infiniti for service on my car and he had walked in the customer lounge area and we spoke for about 5-10 mins and then he told me to take care and that he had to get back to work. He will be truly missed and definitely a great person loss :’-(. I send my dearly condolences to his family, you all hang in there. Just know that he was doing something that he was very passionate about and took great pride in before leaving this earth. He’s in a better place now.

  • Dave attended training in our facility here in New Jersey, and usually gave us more knowledge than we gave him.
    We all admired him, and the Technician’s Handbook he worked so hard to finish.
    Our deepest sympathies to his wife and family.
    God’s Peace to all,
    mark h

  • We feel privleged to get to know David and his family. We greatly enjoyed your company. Our thoughts are with the family. RIP

  • I cannot tell you how very sad all of Dave’s ASE-family are to hear of his passing. We all had the pleasure of meeting him and his lovely wife, Shirl, in Newport Beach, CA, when he won his Infiniti Technician of the year award. He was a wonderful man with a true passion for his craft. We read the book he wrote and commend his committment to helping other young technicians.

    Dave will never be forgotten by those of us at ASE who were lucky enough to meet him. Rest in peace, dear friend.

  • I am so sorry to hear of Daves passing. I am a fellow technician and one of the ASE technician award recipients in the 2013 year. It is so sad to lose such a quality technician of Daves caliber. He will be missed.

    My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May God help in the healing of your family.

    God Bless!

    Greg Sampley
    ASE Subaru technician

  • I received an email from Sally Owen from ASE,I was also award winner for 2013 and would like to have you all know our thoughts and prayers are with you and we are so sorry for your loss.
    sincerely Jerry Denaple

  • My sincere condolences to your family

  • I am deeply saddened by the loss of David. I wish Shirl and his family and friends my condolences. I only met David and Shirl briefly last year at the ASE Awards, but certainly was touched by his love for family and the passion for his career. I wish I could have spent more time with David.

    Sincerely,
    John and Carol McKeage

  • I am very saddened for your sudden loss. My heart goes out to you and your family. May God Bless you during this difficult time and know that you are in my thoughts and prays.

  • My wife and I had the privilege of meeting Dave and his wife Shirl at the ASE Technician of the Year awards ceremony. What a true gentleman with a strong passion for his family and our industry. I’m confident his legacy will continue through the many people he has touched over the years and through his book. Our deepest sympathies to Shirl, Lily and his family.
    God Bless.

    Rob Barto

  • I am so sorry for your family’s loss. I met David in High School. He was a lovely soul and was always so nice and kind to others. Please know that David and your family are in my prayers.

    God Speed David,
    Cyndy Hand

  • We are so sorry to hear of David’s passing, and also that we could not attend the gathering in his honor. Our condolences to the entire family.