Ellison Wittels

Born on July 15, 1942, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the full scope and impact of Ellison Harold Wittels’ life remains somewhat unknowable due to his tremendous modesty. What is known is that for everything he embarked upon, he worked incredibly hard, excelled at, and became the favorite of the people who were in his immediate orbit—whether they were coworkers, friends, family, or staff. As a child, Ellison aspired to be in the FBI or CIA, but pivoted to medicine when he found out he was too short to be a G-man or spy. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he became a member of ΑΕΠ. He relished being a Sooner for the rest of his life and one of the few things he did for himself was to make time to watch Oklahoma football, basketball, and baseball games. After Oklahoma, he came to Texas to train at Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his residency in Cincinnati and returned to Texas to start his long and fruitful career. For 25 years at Baylor, he was an internist for hundreds of patients, worked with medical pioneers like Michael DeBakey and Tony Gotto, became a professor, and authored or co-authored 11 medical publications. As a founding member for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Medical Review Board for the Department of Transportation, Dr. Wittels helped develop and administer Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) concerning the medical qualifications of commercial drivers in interstate commerce. He spent weeks in Washington, D.C. every month. That’s right. Ellison Wittels was part of Big Gov regulations! He served as an expert witness on court cases and consulted for the Teamsters. He liked to recount how he once asked them if they knew where Jimmy Hoffa was buried, and they didn’t think that was very funny. In the last phase of his career, he became a Chairman for Concentra Medical Centers, where he continued to practice medicine and be the funniest doctor on staff. As a young doctor, Ellison learned to fly planes, bought a motorcycle, and reveled in being a bachelor. But then, he found Maureen—or Morris as he called her—and traded that whole life in because he was in love. Actually, to say that Ellison loved Maureen is a great understatement: He adored her. Together they built a rich life and raised Stephanie and Harris, the joys of his life. There were family vacations, recitals, baseball games, dude ranches, Santa letters, and much, much more but the constant was always laughter. Howling, unbridled, side-splitting laughter that usually originated with Ellison’s deadpan delivery, an unforeseen prank, or just a belabored look on his face. For a man of logic, science, and duty, Ellison never wavered on supporting the creative, artistic, and insane things Stephanie and Harris gravitated toward and pursued. He and Maureen’s encouragement led the kids down a path that has resulted in Emmy awards, master’s degrees, presidential jokes, published books, international acquisitions, and much more. Nothing could have made him more proud and excited. Ellison became Bapa to Iris in 2014 and Harry in 2018. He showered them with love and was putty in their hands, whether that was a teething Iris biting his nose, becoming a canvas for her makeup and nail polish experiments, or as an audience member for Harry’s jokes and movies. In exchange, he loved to open his mouth wide and show both of them his chewed food to drive them crazy. He loved to drive them crazy. Ellison was a son to Dorothy and Sidney; brother to Carol; husband to Maureen; son-in-law to Frances, father to Stephanie and Harris; uncle to Fran, Sam, and Cindy; father-in-law to Mike; Bapa to Iris and Harrison and friend to many, many more. More than anything he was wholly, always himself: that is impossible to duplicate and will forever be missed. May his memory be a blessing. We wish you were here to make us all laugh just a little bit longer. We love you. A private graveside service was held.

Ellison Wittels

July 15, 1942 - June 10, 2025