Obituary of Ellen Lucht Timko

Ellen Lucht Timko, 94, beloved mother and grandmother, passed away on Friday, August 23, 2024, at her Fellowship Village residence in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.   The family will celebrate her life with a private service.

Born to Swedish and German immigrants in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Ellen lived on a farm as a child where she supported her parents in their business of delivering eggs and milk.  She was a proud member of the Class of 1952 at Wheaton College.  She went on to teach elementary school and soon met her husband Joseph W. Timko at a local dance.  They were married in 1954 until Joseph passed away in 2015.  It was the best 61 years of their lives.  As her four children got older, Ellen went back to work for 15 years.  She loved flowers, particularly daffodils, and over the years decorated her yard with beautiful spreads of springtime yellow.  Her positive attitude was captured in her frequent exclamations of, “Marvelous!  Just marvelous!”  She would say this in reaction to hearing of the exploits of her children and grandchildren or sometimes when just gazing on a sunny day.

Ellen is survived by her children Nancy Timko, Joe Timko and wife Kathy, Tom Timko and wife Alyson, and daughter Carol’s husband Mark.   She will be remembered as a gentle and unfailingly kind grandmother by her ten grandchildren (Jillian, Henry, Joe, Claire, Jack, Rose, Peter, Anna, Nick, and Julia).  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ellen’s name to the World Wildlife Fund, https://www.worldwildlife.org/