Ellen Brazelton Krift

Ellen was born on May 24, 1941, in Rome, Georgia, to the late William Frank and Louise (Sewell) Brazelton.

Ellen graduated from Shorter College with a degree in fine art and a minor in dance. She attended the University of Georgia completing coursework toward a master's degree. She created and directed the art program for Floyd County Schools in Rome, teaching all grades in every school.

Selected to join the Department of Defense Overseas Dependent School System, Ellen then taught art at Clark Air Force Base, Philippines, at the height of the Vietnam War. She was next assigned to Lajes Air Base in the Azores, Portugal, where she taught art and met her husband, Fred, an aviator in the Navy. They married in 1972 and first lived in Jacksonville, Florida, where she was Duval County Schools’ art coordinator and taught at Jacksonville University, and Fred was assigned to a squadron at the Naval Air Station. They then lived at Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Puerto Rico where Ellen taught art in the Antilles School System. After teaching in the dependent schools, she continued her activism in the arts, serving as co-chair of the annual Findlay, Ohio, Arts Festival, and Art in Public Places grant competition.

Ellen loved her family, traveling, the arts and antiques, and was an incredible cook. She believed in equality, in particular women’s empowerment, which is no doubt why a family cat was named after Geraldine Ferraro. Ellen was a winner of arguments and a true decision maker who always told you what she felt and how she felt about you. She instilled courage and confidence in her family to believe they could accomplish anything. So that’s why her son, frozen in fear, finally swung the bat in Findlay Little League baseball, why her daughter lived in Costa Rica and documented the first female voters there, and why her husband flew planes into the eyes of hurricanes. They believed, because she believed. For these reasons and more, Ellen was and will always be her family’s guiding light.

Ellen is survived by her loving husband, Frederick “Fred” Anthony Krift II; daughter, Dr. Anna Louise Krift; son, Frederick “Bro” Anthony (Shelly Gattlieb) Krift III; grandchildren, Julia Morgan Krift Obenour, and Broderick “Brody” Brazelton Krift; nephew, Steve (Kim) Gaines; and niece, Ann Gaines (Mike) Slinkard. She is also survived by sister-in-law Kathleen (Steve) Todd and brother-in law, Tom (Lisa) Krift, and four nephews, Brook Todd, Emile (Leslie) Todd, Will (Missy) Krift, and Case (Hali) Krift.

Ellen is preceded in death by her parents; aunt and uncle, Anne Sewell (John Wesley) Strange; and sister and brother-in-law, Frances Brazelton (James Lewis) Gaines.

The family will receive friends at Daniel’s Funeral Home, Rome, Georgia on Friday, May 23 from 5-7 p.m., and on Saturday, May 24 from 9-11 a.m. with a celebration of life service starting at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in Myrtle Hill Cemetery, with a memorial luncheon to follow at Grace Events, 309 N 5th.

Memorial contributions may be made to Ohio’s Hospice, National Audubon Society, or The Nature Conservancy.