Ella M. Auldridge

April 14, 1930 – September 10, 2025

Ella Auldridge was born to Ferd and Mary Young in Hollis, Oklahoma. She had eight brothers and sisters who have all preceded her in death: Ruby Cole, Curtis Young, Otis Young, Iola Brawley, Raymond Young, Elmer Young, Eugene Young, and Ozelle Sutton.

Ella grew up on the family farm where life was simple but hard. The family got electricity when she was 15 years old, and most of their food was home grown, whether it was pickled beets or a chicken from the flock. The dust storms in the 1930’s would be tumultuous as they had to clean everything for days after. The family was divided into the older children that were almost grown when Ella was born, and Gene, Ella, and Ozelle that formed the younger bunch, with Elmer in-between that passed away from measles when he was two years old.

Ella graduated high school in Hollis, OK and went to Amarillo to attend business school, where she learned secretarial skills. She stayed with her brother Curtis for a while, then got an apartment with friends. She married Ronald Marquardt (Mark), and spent a few years in various locations, including a year in Libya. After divorcing, she moved to Amarillo and had a few years traveling with her girlfriends to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon.

In 1968 she married the love of her life, Thomas Auldridge in Amarillo, Texas. They were busy traveling but most of all, they square danced. Tom was a caller and they usually had three or four different square dance clubs every week. Ella was the social center of the clubs, often the club sweetheart and celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and all life events.

Ella is preceded in death by her three step-children Thomas L. Auldridge, Suzanne Auldridge, and Karen Fletcher.

Tom died of cancer in 1988, and Ella became a widow. She became very active at St. Stephen’s Methodist Church until her 90’s. There she volunteered weekly, quilted, crocheted hundreds of scrubbies and washcloths, and cross-stitched treasures for her friends and family. She was always helping others, and spent more than a year tending her sister Lola in California.

Ella was always up for an adventure and always looked for ways to help out. She wrote countless cards to her friends and family. If you needed her to crochet bells for wedding rice bags or provide scrubbies for the church bazaar, she happily gave her time and effort. Even after her gall bladder surgery in 2024 at rehab she was organizing games for the other patients.

Ella has found new joy in heaven with Jesus, Tom, and all her siblings. She’s probably leading them in some fun new adventure.