Ellen M. Clark, 85, of Parsons passed away Tuesday afternoon, May 22, 2007, after an illness of several weeks. Since May 14 she had been at Good Samaritan Center in Parsons where she received loving care from staff and from Hospice Care of Kansas.
Ellen Marie Killion was born August 31, 1921, in Haywood, OK, the eldest of 10 children of Earl Edgar and Hattie Florence (Huddleston) Killion. As a child, Ellen moved with her family to Hockerville, OK, where her father was a miner. Her career as a journalist was inspired in high school where she was an editor and illustrator on the staff of the Quapaw (OK) High School newspaper, the "Wildcat Scratch." She was a member of the Quapaw High School debate team and an outstanding student. All her life she had a thirst for knowledge and was an avid reader. Later in life when she developed macular degeneration, she did not become discouraged but became an avid listener, subscribing to the US Congressional Library's Talking Books program.
Ellen and her future husband, Willard W. Clark, met while in high school. Along with other family they were members of a musical group called the Sagebrush Racketeers who entertained at various events in the 4-state area.
Ellen and Willard Clark were married on June 11, 1939, in Columbus, KS. Except for a few years early in their marriage when they lived in Joplin, MO, they lived in Baxter Springs, KS, where they raised their family and where both served their church and community as active volunteers. They were officers on the board of directors of the Baxter Springs Historical Society and for many years were active in the development of the Baxter Springs Historical Museum and Heritage Center. Both volunteered as docents at the museum and Ellen served many years as docent recruiter.
Ellen's working career began in the 1940's at radio station KFSB, Joplin, MO, and later at KGLC, Miami, OK, where she hosted radio programs, including one that featured area students, their organizations and school events, and a Christmas season show in which she was "Mrs. Santa Claus" chatting with Santa's Elves and taking calls from area children.
Ellen then joined the Joplin Globe as a reporter/photographer/feature writer, retiring in 1983 after 30 years. She covered many high-profile trials and met and interviewed many notables, including exclusive interviews with Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Stewart Udall, Secretary of the Interior under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Proud to call herself a "Liberal Democrat," Ellen served many years as an officer of the Cherokee County Democratic Central Committee. She was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a devoted supporter of many environmental and wildlife organizations.
In the early 1970's, Ellen Clark became the first woman elected to the Baxter Springs, KS, City Council and served several terms in that capacity. On her 50th birthday she decided to learn to fly an airplane and soon earned her private and commercial licenses. She wrote about learning to fly in a Joplin Globe feature titled "Ellen Livingston Seagull," after the nickname her husband gave her when she was learning to fly. She and a family friend purchased an airplane and founded the "Wings Aloft" flying club based at the Miami, OK, airport. She was a member of the Aircraft Owners Association.
Ellen was a devoted member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority which she joined in Baxter Springs in 1960 where she was a member and President of Preceptor Xi chapter. After her husband's death, Ellen moved to Tulsa, OK, where she joined the Theta Master chapter and was selected "Beta Sigma Phi Sweetheart Queen" in 2000. Ellen joined Beta Rho Chapter when she moved to Parsons in 2001 and was elected Sweetheart Queen of that chapter in 2006. A paid for life member since 1992, Ellen received the Order of the Rose, a chapter honor, in 2000, her Ritual of Jewels, Exemplar, Preceptor, Laureate, and finally in 2005 her Master's, the highest degree Beta Sigma Phi awards. She counted her Beta Sigma Phi sisters among her most cherished friends.
Ellen and Willard Clark were recognized and honored over the years for their dedicated service to church and community. They were selected " Mr. John Baxter and Miss Pioneer" for Cowtown Days in Baxter Springs in 1992 and later were Grand Marshals of the Baxter Springs Christmas Parade. Ellen was presented the first Lions Club Award for Community Service in 1982, in part for her tireless efforts and achievements on behalf of Baxter Springs' Pride Program. Other awards included for Historic Preservation in 1986 and, with her husband, for Historic Preservation in 1988.
Ellen and Willard Clark were active members of the First Methodist Church of Baxter Springs for fifty years, during which time Ellen sang in the church choir and was a sponsor of the Methodist Youth group. She wrote a history of the church for its 100th anniversary. In the 1990's, Mr. and Mrs. Clark became members of St. Phillips Episcopal Church, Joplin. When she moved to Tulsa, Ellen joined St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church. She had been a member of St. John's Episcopal Church, Parsons, since 2001, and served as Jr. Warden on the Vestry.
A lover of opera and classical music, Ellen was a supporter of the Tulsa Opera and with her husband held season tickets for decades, often sharing tickets with friends and young people to introduce them to the exquisite and exhilarating world of opera. Ellen enjoyed gardening at her home in Baxter Springs and grew prize-winning Iris. She was a member of the Iris Society in Baxter Springs and, more recently, in Parsons.
Ellen and Willard Clark loved to travel with their children and made many trips to the Western states. Later they enjoyed traveling with friends throughout the United States. A favorite trip in the 1980s was to Alaska, Canada and the Northwest Territory.
One of Ellen's proudest achievements was the initiation, with cousins in Arkansas, of the Killion Family Reunion in the early 1990s, an event that continues to grow thanks to Ellen's successful pursuits over the years of more Killion relatives. She was a genealogist and traced her Killion roots back to the Revolutionary War in which her ancestor Michael Killion fought and died after emigrating from Ireland.
A year or so after Ellen's husband Willard passed away February 22, 1998, she moved to Tulsa where her son, Mark, lives. Never content unless contributing her time and talent in a constructive way, Ellen, during the 2000 U.S. Census, called the Census Bureau office in Tulsa and offered to volunteer. She was told they didn't use volunteers, but they offered her a paying job which she enjoyed for several months. She also enjoyed serving as a Courtwatch Volunteer with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) in Tulsa. She was a devoted Oklahoma University football fan.
In 2001, Ellen moved to Parsons to live with her daughter, Barbara. Before her vision became impaired, Ellen served as a Pink Lady in the Labette County Medical Center Auxiliary, and belonged to Church Women United. She was an avid ornithologist and member of the Audubon Society.
A woman of boundless interests, talents, and energy, Ellen Clark not only was a journalist, prize-winning photographer, pilot, expert quilter, seamstress, prolific knitter, prize-winning gardener, genealogist, gracious hostess, Cub Scout Den Mother, volunteer and church and community activist, but there was no role she enjoyed more than that of parent, grandparent and great-grandparent. She was lovingly referred to as "Nana" by her grand and great-grandchildren.
Survivors include her daughter Barbara Ellen Clark [Baker], Parsons; her sons Mark W. Clark and his wife, Sherry, Tulsa, OK, and Willard Thomas Clark and his wife Lou of Duvall, WA; her brother Elmer Killion and his wife Suzie of Denver, CO, sisters Twila Fortgang, Miami, FL, and Mary Florence Killion, Rialto, CA; her grandchildren Christine T. (Clark) Peterson, Minneapolis, MN; Christopher Alexander Clark Baker and his wife Adriana, Harlingen, TX; Michael Keith Clark Baker and his wife Kathleen, Palos Park, IL; Willa Mayns and her husband John Anthony Mayns Jr., Arvada, CO; Kim McGinty and her husband Mark, Tulsa, OK; Rachel Burton and her husband Bryan, Tulsa, OK; Michel Ann Ford and her husband Richard, Riverside, CA, and Shannon Moore, Wichita, KS; her great- grandchildren Christine A. Baker and Caroline A. Baker, Harlingen, TX; Nicholas W. Baker, Joseph A. Baker and Joshua J. Baker, Palos Park, IL; Max A. McGinty and Tyler M. McGinty, Tulsa, OK; Liam A. Burton and Stella M. Burton, Tulsa, OK; John Anthony Mayns III and Leah L. Mayns, Arvada, CO; Jessica Chapman, Fullerton, CA, and Casie Chapman, Riverside, CA; Fraser Moore and Sophie Moore, Wichita, KS.
Ellen is also survived by many nieces and nephews and hundreds of friends, and her beloved cats Sadie and Foxy. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and six siblings.
Ellen chose cremation, with arrangements by Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home. A memorial mass for Ellen Clark will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church on June 11th at 2 p.m. Officiating will be the Revs. Richard W. McCandless, Jan Chubb and Sharon Billman.
Interment of ashes will be at Lowell Cemetery near Baxter Springs.
The family requests no flowers and suggests instead memorials to the Baxter Springs Historical Museum and Heritage Center, 8th and East Avenue, Baxter Springs, KS 66713.
-30- To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ellen M. Clark, please visit our flower store.
Ellen Marie Killion was born August 31, 1921, in Haywood, OK, the eldest of 10 children of Earl Edgar and Hattie Florence (Huddleston) Killion. As a child, Ellen moved with her family to Hockerville, OK, where her father was a miner. Her career as a journalist was inspired in high school where she was an editor and illustrator on the staff of the Quapaw (OK) High School newspaper, the "Wildcat Scratch." She was a member of the Quapaw High School debate team and an outstanding student. All her life she had a thirst for knowledge and was an avid reader. Later in life when she developed macular degeneration, she did not become discouraged but became an avid listener, subscribing to the US Congressional Library's Talking Books program.
Ellen and her future husband, Willard W. Clark, met while in high school. Along with other family they were members of a musical group called the Sagebrush Racketeers who entertained at various events in the 4-state area.
Ellen and Willard Clark were married on June 11, 1939, in Columbus, KS. Except for a few years early in their marriage when they lived in Joplin, MO, they lived in Baxter Springs, KS, where they raised their family and where both served their church and community as active volunteers. They were officers on the board of directors of the Baxter Springs Historical Society and for many years were active in the development of the Baxter Springs Historical Museum and Heritage Center. Both volunteered as docents at the museum and Ellen served many years as docent recruiter.
Ellen's working career began in the 1940's at radio station KFSB, Joplin, MO, and later at KGLC, Miami, OK, where she hosted radio programs, including one that featured area students, their organizations and school events, and a Christmas season show in which she was "Mrs. Santa Claus" chatting with Santa's Elves and taking calls from area children.
Ellen then joined the Joplin Globe as a reporter/photographer/feature writer, retiring in 1983 after 30 years. She covered many high-profile trials and met and interviewed many notables, including exclusive interviews with Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Stewart Udall, Secretary of the Interior under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Proud to call herself a "Liberal Democrat," Ellen served many years as an officer of the Cherokee County Democratic Central Committee. She was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a devoted supporter of many environmental and wildlife organizations.
In the early 1970's, Ellen Clark became the first woman elected to the Baxter Springs, KS, City Council and served several terms in that capacity. On her 50th birthday she decided to learn to fly an airplane and soon earned her private and commercial licenses. She wrote about learning to fly in a Joplin Globe feature titled "Ellen Livingston Seagull," after the nickname her husband gave her when she was learning to fly. She and a family friend purchased an airplane and founded the "Wings Aloft" flying club based at the Miami, OK, airport. She was a member of the Aircraft Owners Association.
Ellen was a devoted member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority which she joined in Baxter Springs in 1960 where she was a member and President of Preceptor Xi chapter. After her husband's death, Ellen moved to Tulsa, OK, where she joined the Theta Master chapter and was selected "Beta Sigma Phi Sweetheart Queen" in 2000. Ellen joined Beta Rho Chapter when she moved to Parsons in 2001 and was elected Sweetheart Queen of that chapter in 2006. A paid for life member since 1992, Ellen received the Order of the Rose, a chapter honor, in 2000, her Ritual of Jewels, Exemplar, Preceptor, Laureate, and finally in 2005 her Master's, the highest degree Beta Sigma Phi awards. She counted her Beta Sigma Phi sisters among her most cherished friends.
Ellen and Willard Clark were recognized and honored over the years for their dedicated service to church and community. They were selected " Mr. John Baxter and Miss Pioneer" for Cowtown Days in Baxter Springs in 1992 and later were Grand Marshals of the Baxter Springs Christmas Parade. Ellen was presented the first Lions Club Award for Community Service in 1982, in part for her tireless efforts and achievements on behalf of Baxter Springs' Pride Program. Other awards included for Historic Preservation in 1986 and, with her husband, for Historic Preservation in 1988.
Ellen and Willard Clark were active members of the First Methodist Church of Baxter Springs for fifty years, during which time Ellen sang in the church choir and was a sponsor of the Methodist Youth group. She wrote a history of the church for its 100th anniversary. In the 1990's, Mr. and Mrs. Clark became members of St. Phillips Episcopal Church, Joplin. When she moved to Tulsa, Ellen joined St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church. She had been a member of St. John's Episcopal Church, Parsons, since 2001, and served as Jr. Warden on the Vestry.
A lover of opera and classical music, Ellen was a supporter of the Tulsa Opera and with her husband held season tickets for decades, often sharing tickets with friends and young people to introduce them to the exquisite and exhilarating world of opera. Ellen enjoyed gardening at her home in Baxter Springs and grew prize-winning Iris. She was a member of the Iris Society in Baxter Springs and, more recently, in Parsons.
Ellen and Willard Clark loved to travel with their children and made many trips to the Western states. Later they enjoyed traveling with friends throughout the United States. A favorite trip in the 1980s was to Alaska, Canada and the Northwest Territory.
One of Ellen's proudest achievements was the initiation, with cousins in Arkansas, of the Killion Family Reunion in the early 1990s, an event that continues to grow thanks to Ellen's successful pursuits over the years of more Killion relatives. She was a genealogist and traced her Killion roots back to the Revolutionary War in which her ancestor Michael Killion fought and died after emigrating from Ireland.
A year or so after Ellen's husband Willard passed away February 22, 1998, she moved to Tulsa where her son, Mark, lives. Never content unless contributing her time and talent in a constructive way, Ellen, during the 2000 U.S. Census, called the Census Bureau office in Tulsa and offered to volunteer. She was told they didn't use volunteers, but they offered her a paying job which she enjoyed for several months. She also enjoyed serving as a Courtwatch Volunteer with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) in Tulsa. She was a devoted Oklahoma University football fan.
In 2001, Ellen moved to Parsons to live with her daughter, Barbara. Before her vision became impaired, Ellen served as a Pink Lady in the Labette County Medical Center Auxiliary, and belonged to Church Women United. She was an avid ornithologist and member of the Audubon Society.
A woman of boundless interests, talents, and energy, Ellen Clark not only was a journalist, prize-winning photographer, pilot, expert quilter, seamstress, prolific knitter, prize-winning gardener, genealogist, gracious hostess, Cub Scout Den Mother, volunteer and church and community activist, but there was no role she enjoyed more than that of parent, grandparent and great-grandparent. She was lovingly referred to as "Nana" by her grand and great-grandchildren.
Survivors include her daughter Barbara Ellen Clark [Baker], Parsons; her sons Mark W. Clark and his wife, Sherry, Tulsa, OK, and Willard Thomas Clark and his wife Lou of Duvall, WA; her brother Elmer Killion and his wife Suzie of Denver, CO, sisters Twila Fortgang, Miami, FL, and Mary Florence Killion, Rialto, CA; her grandchildren Christine T. (Clark) Peterson, Minneapolis, MN; Christopher Alexander Clark Baker and his wife Adriana, Harlingen, TX; Michael Keith Clark Baker and his wife Kathleen, Palos Park, IL; Willa Mayns and her husband John Anthony Mayns Jr., Arvada, CO; Kim McGinty and her husband Mark, Tulsa, OK; Rachel Burton and her husband Bryan, Tulsa, OK; Michel Ann Ford and her husband Richard, Riverside, CA, and Shannon Moore, Wichita, KS; her great- grandchildren Christine A. Baker and Caroline A. Baker, Harlingen, TX; Nicholas W. Baker, Joseph A. Baker and Joshua J. Baker, Palos Park, IL; Max A. McGinty and Tyler M. McGinty, Tulsa, OK; Liam A. Burton and Stella M. Burton, Tulsa, OK; John Anthony Mayns III and Leah L. Mayns, Arvada, CO; Jessica Chapman, Fullerton, CA, and Casie Chapman, Riverside, CA; Fraser Moore and Sophie Moore, Wichita, KS.
Ellen is also survived by many nieces and nephews and hundreds of friends, and her beloved cats Sadie and Foxy. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and six siblings.
Ellen chose cremation, with arrangements by Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home. A memorial mass for Ellen Clark will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church on June 11th at 2 p.m. Officiating will be the Revs. Richard W. McCandless, Jan Chubb and Sharon Billman.
Interment of ashes will be at Lowell Cemetery near Baxter Springs.
The family requests no flowers and suggests instead memorials to the Baxter Springs Historical Museum and Heritage Center, 8th and East Avenue, Baxter Springs, KS 66713.
-30- To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ellen M. Clark, please visit our flower store.
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