Ellen Marie Graves-Lopez

Ellen Marie Graves-Lopez, age 84, passed away on July 1, 2026. Born on March 14, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan, she was known as Ellen to her family and as Marie to many who came to know her later in life. She resided in Marble Falls, Texas.

After World War II ended, Marie’s family returned to their Arkansas and Oklahoma places, and she ultimately grew up in Dallas (Oak Cliff). She attended Sunset High School and Draughon’s Practical Business College.

Marie married young and became the mother of one child, Marla, and later, after remarrying, welcomed a second child, Solomon. Later, as a widow raising Solomon and a grandkid, Victor, she married again in 1985 in Dallas.

For more than 20 years, Marie worked in funeral sales with a national firm from Houston, achieving notable success before retiring. Throughout her life, she carried an unmistakable creative gift—an artistic sensibility that required no formal training and yet was evident in the beauty and care she brought to her homes.

Marie also embraced the wider world with enthusiasm and curiosity. She lived in Norway for three years and traveled extensively in Europe, Central and South America, Israel, Egypt, Canada, and the Caribbean. At home, she found pleasure in quiet pursuits as well, including being an avid reader of true crime stories. She will also be remembered as a wonderful cook, energetic and full of life, quick with wit, and consistently attentive to the well-being of others, including the multiple (over 15) rescue dogs adopted over the years.

Marie is survived by her loving husband, Simon; son Solomon; step-daughter Felicia Marie; brother Jimmie Ray; five grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Marla Carroll Wells; her parents; grandparents; and her aunt and uncles.

A Graveside Service will be held at Grove Hill Memorial Park, 3920 Samuell Blvd, Dallas, TX 75228, on July 11, 2026, from 10:00 am to 10:30 am.