Obituary of Ellen Smith

Ellen’s obituary

Elizabeth Ellen Sage Smith, age 68. passed away in Highline Place Memory Care Facility, Littleton, CO on March 22, 2020 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Ellen is survived by her; husband Gary Smith of Centennial, Colorado, her son Matthew Thomas Smith and fiancée Catherine Carlin and their daughter/Ellen’s granddaughter Joslyn Carlin Smith of Centennial, Colorado, her sister Georganne Sage Chacon and husband Jaime of Houston, Texas, and her brother John Thomas Sage and wife Mary of Lafayette, Louisiana.  She was preceded in death by her parents Thomas Cook Sage and Mary Jane Robb Sage.

Ellen was born June 23, 1951 in the Chicago, IL metro area and moved during her childhood to Minnesota and Iowa, graduating high school in Des Moines, IA in 1969.  Ellen graduated from the University of Iowa in 1973 and started work at the IRS shortly thereafter.  Ellen was introduced to her husband by her co-worker at the IRS, Debbie Smith (her husband’s sister-in-law).  Ellen and Gary were married in 1977, moved to Florida in 1978 and moved to Colorado in June of 1982 with their newborn son Matthew who was 6 months old at that time.  Ellen was a dedicated stay at home mother until Matthew started high school, at that time she went to work as a retail book seller, eventually retiring from Barnes and Noble.  One of Ellen’s very strong family goals in life was to raise Matthew in the same school district and home from kindergarten through high school.  Ellen wanted Matthew to establish life-long friends and roots in the community.  Ellen accomplished that goal; Matthew still lives in the same school district with his family surrounded by a large circle of his high school friends with their families and Gary still lives in the house where Matthew grew up.  Ellen’s passions included reading, needlepointing and crocheting.  Ellen loved the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the reason for the move to Colorado and had a passion for the City of New Orleans where she visited her family living in New Orleans many times making life-long memories of the city with them.

Due to the Coronavirus restrictions, A celebration of Ellen’s life service is scheduled at 11:00AM June 22, 2020 at Saint John’s Cathedral 1350 Washington Street Denver, Colorado   80203, 303-831-7115   www.sjcathedral.org, reception to follow at longtime friends residence Kevin and Becky Parnell,  7235 S Jackson Ct Centennial, CO 80122. .  If you are interested in attending Ellen’s service please contact her husband Gary at gws3143@outlook.com or phone 720-261-9281,

In lieu of flowers or other gifts the family would rather you donate to The Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Disease Center committed to ending Alzheimer’s disease.

Give Directly to RMADC:
Make checks payable to University of Colorado Foundation and note fund #222578 in the memo line or visit giving.cu.edu/alzheimers to give online.  Contact Carrie Radant Flynn if you have additional inquiries at 303-724-9146 or carrie.radant@ucdenver.edu:
 

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Mail Stop A065
13011 E. 17th Place
Aurora, CO 80045