Ellen Arlene Kays

Ellen Arlene Reinbold Kays passed away on May 28, 2019. Upon learning of her cancer diagnosis in early April, she chose to live to the fullest by opting out of all treatments and enjoyed the many visits by family and friends with special celebrations on Mother’s Day to her favorite restaurant, Anthony’s on the Falls, and her 79th birthday celebration on May 20th. Ellen was born on May 20, 1940 in Spokane to Herman & Beulah Reinbold and graduated from Davenport High School in 1958. She married Ray Brodin September 21, 1958 and they created a wonderful family farm life for their 2 children, Patrick and Lori. Some of Ellen’s favorite farm activities included gardening and canning her own food, riding snowmobiles and motorcycles, driving wheat truck and chasing chickens and cows. She also found time to have freshly baked chocolate chip cookies waiting for her children when they arrived home from the school bus. She was an accomplished seamstress and made many beautiful clothes for herself and Lori. She was also a very talented musician on the organ and piano which she shared at her local churches. Ellen and Ray subsequently divorced and she began a new career as a legal secretary upon her graduation from Kinman Business College in 1978. She worked for various law firms locally in Davenport and throughout the various states that she would later live in. Ellen married Fred Kays on December 31, 1983 in Davenport and they subsequently lived in various states due to Fred’s contract work as a Boeing machinist. Upon his retirement in 1991, they purchased a permanent residence in Davenport and traveled to Arizona in their 5th wheel trailer during the winter months. Upon his death in 2002, Ellen purchased a second permanent residence in Wickenburg, Arizona and continued to spend her winters there. She developed additional artistic interests which included cross stitching, oil painting, and quilting. Her family and friends were the lucky recipients of many of her special masterpieces. Ellen was blessed with many lifelong friendships between her two residences in Davenport and Arizona and will be greatly missed by all. Ellen leaves a mother, Beulah Reinbold; daughter Lori Brodin & son-in-law Dale Mills; son Pat Brodin and daughter-in-law Delia Madsen; grandchildren Ben & Briana Brodin; sisters Linda (Marvin) Miller, Alta Reinbold and Darlene Reinbold. She also leaves numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Celebration of Life services will be held at 12:00 PM at Christ Lutheran in Egypt on June 14, 2019. In lieu of flowers, the family suggest memorial donations to Lincoln Hospital Foundation or Christ Lutheran Church.