Diane Ellis

Diane C. Ellis passed away peacefully with her family by her side on December 23, 2023. Diane was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 18, 1944, to Harriet and Matthew Keller, the youngest of three children. She fondly remembered living with her grandparents across the street from her church and attending daily mass. When her parents moved to Menomonee Falls, she expressed sadness to be so far away from her church and her Polish neighborhood. She moved to Seattle Washington at the tender age of 17 and was a nanny for Bob and Edie Lee. They became her lifelong friends and had 8 children, all of whom were dear to Diane throughout her life. Bob and Edie introduced her to her first husband John Ellis with whom she had 4 children - 3 boys and one girl. They came to El Paso when John was assigned to Ft Bliss and fell in love with our city. Her parents and sister also fell in love with El Paso and moved here as well. Later, Diane had another son with Jaime Rodriguez and welcomed the youngest of her children with absolute joy.

Diane worked for the City of El Paso in many capacities, beginning with the Police Department at the Jail, and later serving in 911 Dispatch, Zoning, Building Services and Sun Metro. She always said she had the best job in El Paso, no matter where she worked. She was active in her children’s Cub and Girl scout packs and was known far and wide for her big “spreads” of food for birthdays and celebrations. Everyone was welcome in her home and she opened her heart as well to all who entered her life.

Diane was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband John, her son Mark, her partner Jaime Rodriguez, her brother (Dennis Keller) and her sister (Carolyn Calder). She leaves behind her 4 children, John (Carla) Ellis, Matthew Ellis, Mary (Alonso) Ceniceros, and Benjamin (Aries) Rodriguez. She also leaves behind 15 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren who called her “Grammy” and remember fondly playing board games, visiting any zoo they happened to be near when they traveled, and learning to love Neil Diamond songs. A memorial service and rosary will be at Hillcrest Funeral Home, 1060 N Carolina, 4pm-7pm on Thursday, February 22. The funeral mass will be at St Raphael Parish, 2301 Zanzibar at 10 am followed by internment at Mt Carmel Cemetery on Friday, February 23.