Ellen Griffin

Ellen Lee Griffin, age 63, of Henderson, Nevada, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on Saturday, December 19, 2020. She was born in Tularosa, New Mexico to Lilly Mae Brubaker and Hubert Glenn Ratton on May 2, 1957. Ellen was raised in Boulder City, Nevada with her siblings: Dale, Joe Ann (John), and Karen (Reggie); along with step siblings; Diana (Jim), Bonnie, Jimmie, and Debbie.

Ellen married her eternal sweetheart, Slade Griffin, on April 26, 1980. They were sealed in the St. George, Utah Temple on January 29, 1983. Together they had 4 children: Angilique Nicole Oehler, Christopher J.R. Griffin, April Marie Heath (Ryan), and Ashlee Michelle Wilson (Thayne).

Ellen loved spending time with her grandmother, Letha Dawdy. When she was younger, after school she would watch soap operas with Letha, and she also taught Ellen how to crochet. She cared so deeply for her family and would do anything for them. Whenever she went out, she always bought little things for her grandchildren, she never came home empty handed. Ellen had always decked out the house in decorations for each and every holiday, she wanted to make each one memorable for her family.

Ellen's favorite holiday treat was 7-layer-candy. Her mother, Lilly, would always make it around Christmas. She held on to each Christmas and Anniversary card she’d ever gotten, and often looked back on them and cherished each one. Ellen knew every Sunday that her family was coming over for Sunday dinner and that was one of the highlights of the week. Her favorite Sunday dinner was rice casserole, with a Diet Coke, and brownies with ice cream for dessert.

Ellen loved getting her nails done whenever she could. She would often go to the mall with her friends and after walking a mile around the mall, come home with her nails done. She also always looked forward to Fridays because that’s when her and her husband, Slade, would go to lunch at places like Applebee’s, Golden Corral, and Chicken Shack with friends. She LOVED to shop. In November 2020, she had hurt her back and couldn’t walk, hindering her from her favorite hobby. She found her new favorite store online (with the help of her granddaughter, Kailee), Amazon. Soon, packages started flowing in. Whenever her and Slade would go to Costco, at the end of each trip, Slade would find clothes that she snuck into the cart and when he looked at her, she would always smile at him and that’s all it took. She knew he would never make her put anything back. As much as she loved buying clothes, most of what she bought was for others, mainly her grandchildren.

Ellen was a fighter through and through with love, faith, hope, and her husband Slade by her side, she overcame more trials than any of us will ever be able to fully comprehend. One of her greatest joys in life was spending time with family, especially her 11 grandchildren: Austen, Cassondra, Griffin (18), Troy (16) , Kailee (15) , Brecken (15) , Parker (12) , Vann (10) , Daxton (7), Slade (4) , and Colin (2) . Ellen was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and served in many callings. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Letha and Gayle Dawdy, her mom, Lilly, and her dad, Hubert.

We will miss her as a wife, mother, nana, and staple in our family.

Visitation for Ellen will be Wednesday, December 30, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Palm Boulder Highway Mortuary, 800 South Boulder Highway, Henderson, NV 89015. Due to COVID-19, government restrictions will be in place, and all quests must wear a mask. Ellen will be laid to rest privately with her family at Palm Henderson Cemetery.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmboulderhighway.com for the Griffin family.