Patrick Eells

Patrick Eells passed away in a mountaineering accident in Telluride, CO on May 31, 2021.

Raised in West Chester, PA, Patrick moved to Telluride in 2018 to pursue a life close to the mountains. Always an avid athlete and outdoorsman, Patrick fell in love with the San Juan Mountains and the community of Telluride, where he found his adventure partner and the love of his life, Marisa.

Patrick was a quiet leader, in all aspects of life, but especially when traveling with groups in the outdoors. Patrick honed his skills in the mountains by studying the terrain, weather patterns, and pouring over literature on the topic. He completed his level II certification with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education. Patrick shared this love of the natural world with young campers and students from Telluride and genuinely connected with them through a shared curiosity of the wilderness. In Telluride, he loved living according to the rhythm and seasonal pulse of a small town.

A graduate of Salesianum School and the University of Pittsburgh in Engineering Physics, Patrick worked on issues of sustainability during his time on campus at the Mascaro Center and with the local chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World. In this role, Patrick organized the Society for Industrial and Systems Engineering conferences for students. Patrick spent a summer in Brazil on an applied research project to develop sustainable shelters for post natural disaster situations. Learning Portuguese, he returned to Brazil for a semester of engineering courses in Curitiba.

Before his time in Telluride, he worked as a consultant in the nuclear power generation field and traveled around the country.  A truly prolific reader, he was always a patient and insightful teacher to his family and friends. He loved to bike. His ability to take pause and nap was unparalleled.

Patrick was an amazing brother and son.  He will be so missed by his parents Renee and Walter Eells, his sister Melissa and her fiancée Cal, his brother Andrew and sister-in-law Tanya, his partner Marisa and the Marshalka family, and the extended Eells and French families, the whole Telluride community and so many more.

Relatives and friends are invited to his Visitation Friday June 11, 2021 6-8 PM and Saturday 9-10:30 AM at The Donohue Funeral Home, 1627 West Chester Pike, West Chester PA, 19382, 610-431-9000, followed by his Funeral Mass 11 AM at SS Simon & Jude Church, 8 Cavanaugh Court, West Chester, PA 19382. Funeral Mass will be livestreamed at 11 AM at https://vimeo.com/561930558 . Interment private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Patrick's memory can be made to the San Miguel County Search and Rescue. All Donations are tax-deductible as charitable contributions (EIN 82-5258271). Please mail a check to SMC Search and Rescue, 684 CR 63L, Telluride, CO 81435. Donations can also be made to the Patrick Eells Memorial Scholarship at the Pinhead Institute, https://www.pinheadinstitute.org/donate/ . If you prefer you can also mail a check to PO Box 2905, Telluride CO 81435.