Neil W. Elliott

Neil Elliott passed away at the age of 80 on Sunday, August 7th, at Cottage Hospital with his daughter by his side.

Neil was born March 7, 1942, in Aberdeen, Washington, to Harry C. Elliott II and Margaret (Julius) Elliott. He was the oldest of four children and traveled the United States with his family as a small child before they settled in California. He grew up loving cars and music, and he attended many schools across Southern California, ultimately graduating from Chaffey High School in 1959. He later received a degree in Pharmacy from Idaho State University and worked at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital as a pharmacist.

Throughout his life, Neil continued to pursue the love of travel fostered by his parents, traveling around the world solo at the age of 24 and later visiting Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand with his wife and daughter. He also enjoyed many vacations in Hawaii with his family, including his parents, siblings, wife, and daughter and her family.

He had a great passion for art, expressed in the form of collecting art books and a love of Opera. He held season tickets to many California Opera venues and chased Wagner’s Ring Cycle around the world, ultimately viewing it 37 times in its entirety.

However, none of Neil’s other passions could hold a candle to the love he had for his family both near and far. He always enjoyed spending time with them, and in his later years, his granddaughters were the light of his life. Neil didn’t always say much, but when he did, he shared his wisdom and demonstrated a great sense of humor.

Neil is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara (Arthur) Elliott, daughter Marissa Elliott (Geoff Hendershot), and three granddaughters who thought the world of him. He is also survived by his sisters, Linda Elliott-Langen (John) and Norma Byrne (Gary); brother Harry C. Elliott III (Debbie); sister-in-law Patricia Rogers (Patrick); and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other family members.

His family wishes to thank Dr. Ahmed, Dr. Delio, Dr. Nagy, and Dr. Uyesaka for their help in making the last few years of Neil’s life as good as they could be, as well as the care team at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and caregivers from Right At Home for their care and support during his final weeks.