Ellie Wiedow, of Tampa, FL, passed away unexpectedly on August 11, 2025. Ellie was born on October 01, 2003 in Robbinsdale, MN.

As a child and teenager, Ellie danced recreationally and competitively for 10 years and then began cheerleading in high school. She loved the sports and the friends she made while participating. Since a very young age, Ellie always had a love for animals. She began volunteering as a 'cat snuggler' at FOHA in Aldie, VA and in 2020 the family began fostering kittens at her request. It was through fostering with Middleburg Humane Foundation in Marshall, VA,  that her love for all living creatures turned into a passion that she had until her final days. Not only did she help foster kittens until they could be adopted, she learned how to trap cats for TNR and was adamant about making sure people knew the importance of spaying and neutering their pets as well as feral cats that she would come across. As a teenager she was a lifeguard in her neighborhood, but her favorite jobs were dog-walking and pet sitting. 

After Ellie graduated from John Champe High School in 2022, she attended the University of South Florida in Tampa. She started college as a biology major but quickly changed to Aging Sciences major after taking her first class in that program. She joined Alpha Sigma Kappa sorority at USF and met some great friends during that time. Most recently, Ellie began working again as a pet sitter and also as a professional dog trainer. She was quite a natural at it. She had a calm demeanor that the dogs seemed to thrive around. She had future goals of having a cat rescue and being able to board dogs while continuing with training.

In the many conversations we have had with her friends and family over the recent days, we have frequently heard about how she was such a bright LIGHT to others. Whether it was family who have known her for 21 years, a family friend she has known for 10 or 15 years, a friend she has known since high school,  friends she met in the past couple years or even in the last 4 months, her therapist, her favorite piercer in Tampa, so many people have independently brought up the fact that she was a ray of light in their lives. 

She was one of the most empathetic people you would ever meet and would do anything for her friends, family, or even strangers or people she may not have been close with. If you were needing something or hurting, she would be the person that would help you. With her gentle nature came an ability to teach people to be compassionate toward both people and animals. 

Ellie was also described as being 'fragile, but firm', constantly investing in people through time and emotion and while she might have been initially shy or uncertain when in new situations, she never met a stranger. She had a great ability to be able to advocate for herself and others when the need arose. She was 'quietly confident, but loud about her intelligence'. People were excited to see where the combination of her brilliant mind and her outstanding artistic abilities would take her in the future.

Ellie was preceded in death by grandfather Gary Aanderud, great grandmother June Aanderud, grandmother Carol Nagel, and her best FUR-iend Ducky (@DuckyWobbles).

Ellie is survived by her parents Joe and Missy Wiedow, brother Brandon Wiedow, grandmother Dora Dissmeyer, her supportive FUR-iend Banjo (Angelica), aunts and uncles Donna Borowiec, Anne Lopez Wiedow, Brian and Andrea Aanderud, Crystal and James Hoffman, and many cousins and extended family.

In her last testaments, she emphasized the importance of educating and informing people about Mental Health, Autism, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. 

In lieu of gifts or flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following organizations that were meaningful to her or would promote awareness and helping others who may be suffering emotionally or physically.

NAMI (Mental Illness and Autism) (https://donate.nami.org/fundr…)

Middleburg Humane Foundation (Community Cats and Kitten College) (https://wl.donorperfect.net/w…)

Ehlers-Danlos Society (https://theehlers-danlossocie…)

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