Obituary of Maridel P. Ely

With great sadness, the family of Maridel Ely shares the news of her death on February 21, 2025, at the age of 91. Maridel was born and raised in Cincinnati, completing high school at Norwood High where she met the love of her life, Richard (Dick) Ely. They attended Miami University in Oxford where she studied English. Maridel and Dick married on September 5, 1953, and she began a life of adventure as an Air Force wife, and mother to three sons. Some of her favorite adventures were skiing in Switzerland when stationed in England, singing with the Skylarks, and learning to prepare gourmet meals. Maridel was the finest hostess around, and to share an evening with the Elys was delight from start to finish. You could always find a crossword puzzle on her kitchen table, and she loved a good game of bridge with friends. Maridel was also an avid reader, excellent seamstress, and capable gardener, and she took great pride in her well-kept home, whether it was base housing or her own “castle.” It takes a certain amount of grit to live the Air Force life--to pack up and move almost every summer, to say goodbye when your spouse leaves for duty in Vietnam, not knowing if or when he would return, and to raise three rambunctious boys. Maridel did all of this with grace and a good dose of humor. She was the proverbial glue that held the family together. Maridel is predeceased by her parents, Bert G. and Lucille (Missamore) Ulm, husband Richard (Dick) Ely, and her sister Dolores (Jean) Connelly. She leaves to treasure countless memories her sons, Kenneth (Craig) Ely, David (Keith) Ely, and Richard (Kevin) Ely, as well as six grandchildren, two nieces and a nephew, and three great grandchildren, along with many friends, Sweet Adelines companions, and extended family. The family will receive friends on Friday, March 7th from 10AM until the time of funeral service, 11AM at Thomas-Justin Memorial, 7500 Montgomery Rd. (45236) Kenwood. Entombment will follow at Arlington Memorial Gardens.