Ellen Mae Belle Ward, 85, of Drain, Ore. passed away March 28, 2022, in Springfield, Ore.
Ellen was born July 5, 1936, in Mitchell, Neb. to parents Merlyn and Nellie (Zweifel) Morrison. She married Robert Franklin Ward Jr. on March 29, 1953, in Cottage Grove, Ore. Ellen was blessed to be a homemaker, wife and mother of five children.
After raising her children, she went back to school and completed two associate degrees, then worked in special education as a teacher’s assistant and loved her students. Ellen loved sewing, quilting, crochet, and Hardanger embroidery and created many beautiful hand-crafted items. She was a lifelong reader and learner, but most of all Ellen loved spending time with her family.
Ellen is survived by her son Kenneth (Robin) Ward of Drain; son Stephan (Heather) Ward of Spokane, Wash.; daughter Susan (Shane) Rasmussen of Natchitoches, La.; daughter Jennifer (Jason) Fain of Drain; daughter-in-law Shannan (Paul) Ward; brother Ray Morrison of Yoncalla; sister Dorothy Brenden of Athens, Ga.; sister Sharon Rott of Eugene; 19 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Robert, son Paul, and granddaughter Christina.
A viewing will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Cottage Grove on Saturday, April 16 at noon with a funeral service to follow at 1 p.m. Interment will be at the East Drain Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. A potluck celebration of Ellen’s life will be held following the burial at the Drain Civic Center.
Arrangements by Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel and Crematorium.
