Ellymaria Hartmanis

Hartmanis, Ellymaria

Elly Hartmanis, 85, of Ithaca, NY, died peacefully at Cayuga Medical center on April 22nd, 2015. Elly was born in Riga, Latvia, on September 28th, 1929. During World War II, she and her mother relocated to Poland. In 1952 they immigrated to the US, ending up in Minnesota. Elly met her future husband Juris Hartmanis in Pasadena, CA in 1953. Elly and Juris, a founding member of the Computer Science department at Cornell University, moved to Ithaca with their three children in 1965. Elly's considerable energies focused on raising her children and shaping their education and activities, fostering in them a lifelong respect for learning, and a passion for skiing and sailing. Elly delved into real estate - buying and building apartment houses in Collegetown. Eventually she started PHD Environments, a local kitchen and bath business that focused on creative design. She ran her business for 25 years before retiring. Her love of gardening, building things in her mind and then making them come to life, charitable interests and concern for others, are a great inspiration for those who have worked with her and know her well. Her example and drive will live on through her family. She was a wonderful mother, wife, grandmother, and a great friend to many. Elly is survived by her beloved husband Juris, to whom she has been married for 56 years; daughter Reneta McCarthy, her husband Mark McCarthy; son Martin Hartmanis, his wife Rhonda Bucklin and their children Kyle and Ella; and daughter Audrey Langkammerer, her husband Bob and their children Sierra and Kenzie. A memorial service will be held at Sage Chapel on Monday, April 27th, at 3pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to The Children's Tumor Foundation, Hospicare of Ithaca, or the SPCA. The family would like to thank the Doctors Costello and the Cayuga Medical Center employees on 4 South for their kind and compassionate care during this difficult time.