Gregory Ernest Eller

Gregory Ernest Eller

Gregory Ernest Eller, 60, of Magnolia, Seattle, passed away to the sound of "I'll Fly Away" at OHSU Hospital in Portland, Oregon, on January 27, 2017, a stunningly clear day, in the presence of his wife and a niece and cousin. He passed unexpectedly and far too soon from complications of surgery for the carcinoid cancer he had battled for nine years.

Greg, the son of Ernest Eller and Milicent Wonder Eller, was born July 22, 1956, in Walla Walla, Washington. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Constance Marie. Greg is survived by his wife of 33 years, Sarah Sand Eller, his nieces Michelle and Charissa, his grandnieces and grandnephew, and by the 8 cousins and their extended families who make up the sprawling, warm embrace of the "West Side Ellers" and the "Portland Ellers."

Greg grew up in Spokane, where he graduated high school in 1974, and although he left his home town and traveled the world, Greg never lost his love for the Palouse, the pines, and the clear, crisp air of Eastern Washington.

Greg was the first person in his immediate family to graduate college, earning an economics degree from the University of Washington. He went on to attain master's degrees in business administration and public accounting from the University of Washington and in tax from the University of Southern California.

Greg's natural intellectual curiosity, tenacity, and confidence were a natural fit with his chosen career as an expert on complex banking and regulatory accounting issues.

Although accomplished in the private sector, he spent a great deal of his career in public service with the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Home Loan Bank Board, Federal Housing Finance Agency, and, in his final years, FDIC, where he was deputy chief accountant of the Risk Management Division.

Throughout his life, Greg found great satisfaction in reading; taking road trips with Sarah on two-lane highways all across the United States; discovering hidden American gems, such as the Blue Ridge Institute's Folklife Festival at Ferrum College; and cooking at home, approaching each recipe like a science project.

Greg called himself a curmudgeon even as a young, serious college student, but his sly, snide, erudite sense of humor and beautiful smile charmed us all and will be missed forever.

A celebration of Greg's life will be held at Seattle's Palisade Restaurant at Elliott Bay Marina on Saturday, March 4th at 1:30 pm

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation (http://www.carcinoid.org/), Scottish Terrier Club of America (http://www.stca.biz), or your favorite public library.

Please sign Greg's online Guestbook at www.Legacy.com.