Eleanor Frazetta
June 15 1935 - July 17 2009
Eleanor “Ellie” Doris Kelly was born in Massachusetts, June 15th 1935 and moved to New York where she later met and married Frank Frazetta on Sady Hawkin’s Day, November, 1956. They were an ideal duo, as Frank assumed the role as the creator and Ellie, as the business woman. From an early age Ellie had an understanding of business. She was the one who urged Frank to retain his paintings, rather than letting publishers keep the original artworks. That was a revolutionary practice in the paperback industry during the 1960s.
Although Ellie sold many original artworks throughout Frank’s career, she always insisted on fetching the highest prices possible. Once Frank’s career really began to flourish in the mid 60s, Ellie created and managed a successful Frazetta mail-order business. Ellie was known as a tough business woman. She full heartedly believed in her husband’s art career and did all that she could to protect his rights, his integrity and the value of his original artwork.
Ellie continued to build the Frazetta brand by pursuing merchandising and later focused on opening the Frazetta Art Museum. In addition to being Frank’s business manager, Ellie was the mother to their four children, a grandmother to eleven grandchildren and a talented model for many of Frank’s artworks over the years. Ellie was the rock that the Frazetta empire was built on.
I visited the Frazetta Art Museum in East Stroudsburg on April 1, 1995. Mrs. Frazetta welcomed me, and she and I walked the museum and talked about the paintings and Frank. She was very gracious and kind answering my questions. She reminded me of my sister (another Irish beauty from NYC) and I feel honored to have met her.
In the early 1980s I visited The Frazetta Museum when it was above the magic shop in downtown Strasburg.
It was a quiet afternoon just me and Mrs. Frazetta, she showed me around and answered my questions.
A man showed up with some proof prints of the girl riding the horse on the beach poster. Mrs. Frazetta asked me what I thought of it, I had never seen the piece before and was amazed!
She was so nice to me that day.
Very nice Birthday tribute… my best wishes to all @ Frazetta Girls and family… a dynamic woman, she must have been loved very much .
Happy Birthday in Heaven Ellie!