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| Miss Ellie during last year's Carnival. RIP honey. |
Those of you who have visited Provincetown may have had the pleasure of seeing Ellie Castillo perform in front of town hall over the years. I was really very sorry to hear that Ellie died on Thursday of pancreatic cancer. We all so much enjoyed the very sweet person she was. I took this photo last year during Carnival. We were walking down the street after having a nice dinner at Ross' Grill and Miss Ellie was "holding forth" on a nearby corner. Even with us wrapped up in our convivial nonsense, we were captivated by Miss Ellie's performance. We stopped while she finished one tune and then she did another. At the end of the second song (during which you could have heard a pin drop) the crowd erupted in the warmest ovation for her. It truly was a lovely moment.
Her memorial is set for May 14th at the Unitarian-Universalist Meeting House in Provincetown at 11AM. We plan to be there.
Ellie was Provincetown. Her spirit - one of reinvention, fun, glamour, joie de vivre - came through as she sang up and down Commercial Street year-round for the past decade, making her not only a town favorite, but also an instant icon. Ellie arrive in Provincetown at the age of 70 as Elliot. As her placard read, she came here, like so many others, to live her dream. A former minister, Ellie's own ministry of peace and love reached thousands. Never without a smile, Ellie loved Provincetown, and Provincetown loved Ellie – so much so that when Town Hall re-opened, Ellie sang one of her standards, Frank Sinatra's "Its Impossible", to an adoring crowd. Ellie will be remembered always for her kindness and commitment to this community. We'll all miss her.
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