Ellen Rae Price

Ellen Rae Price, 81, passed away on September 19, 2017 in Spokane, WA surrounded by all of her girls. Ellen was the widow of Dean Price. They shared 48 loving years of marriage together. She was smitten with him from the day they met in Grandview, WA. Ellen was born in Mason City, WA. She was the daughter of Phillip and Barbara Jeanneret. Mason City is now under the water of Lake Roosevelt. They lived there while her father worked at building Grand Coulee Dam.

From there, the moved to Portland, OR. At age 6, Ellen’s mother Barbara passed away. At such a young age, Ellen became her sister’s protector and guardian angel. Ellen’s father worked for Kaiser his whole life. They moved to Belair, Ohio for a few years, then to Grandview, WA, where Ellen graduated High School.

She proudly served in the Air Force as a Radar Technician during the Korean War.

Dean and Ellen were married September 3, 1955. Their first two years where in Warden and Sunnyside, WA. In 1962, the bought their home in Selah, WA, where they lived out their lives together.

In 2011, Ellen moved to Spokane, WA to live with their youngest daughter, Misty, but she kept the family home in Selah so they could come back home for visits. Ellen was an apple packer for many years while the kids were young and also did the bookkeeping for Dean’s trucking business.

When the kids were teenagers and Dean was out on the road trucking, she was brave enough to use her G.I. Bill to go to college and got her accounting degree. She was so strong, even taking night classes at times. They were blessed to work together, also doing road construction. One summer, Matt and Misty joined the crew also. What a summer – all 4 of us living in a 27’ A travel trailer.

Ellen was Dean’s loving caregiver from 1986 – 2003, staying by his side as a faithful companion. He always called her “Momma”. After Dad passed away at age 70, Ellen, Ellen went back to work, doing clerical work at the Social Security Office and Unemployment Office in Yakima, WA. She was a tough lady that kept moving her whole life and really enjoyed those years working.

Ellen wore many hats over the years, from babysitting nieces and nephews to the neighbors’ children. She was Matt’s Cub Scout Den mother and also coached his little league baseball team.

After coming home from a game in Tieton, WA, in a jeep full of boys, she stopped and let them raid a cherry orchard. That was Mom – always having fun. She took Misty’s campfire group to Seattle for their 7th grade trip. No mind you, she was as fun and wild as us teenagers. One year she was nominated as Woman of the Year in Selah. Lynn, Nadine and Ellen had a great time celebrating that evening thanks to Daddy. Ellen was a very loving, giving Mother and Grandmother.

People always said she had the patience of a saint with us four kids. She was a great cook, baker and canned most of the fruit and vegetables for her families’ needs. Kellie learned how to cook over the phone from Montana talking to Mom.

Ellen was Mom and Grandma to many people. Her love was unlimited. She had a passion for gardening, loved to read, enjoyed playing hand-and-foot, cooking Chinese food, and going on drives to Timbuktu.

Ellen always had pets and loved them dearly. Dean always said he never know what she was going to do next. That was Ellen – Always happy, crazy, unpredictable, and spoke her mind when she felt passionate about something. Ellen loved the holidays. Her home was known as the Halloween House in Selah. We will miss you Mom. Give Daddy our love.

Ellen is survived by her children Deanne (Dale) Logstrom, Debbie Price, Matt Price-Candy and Phylliss “Misty” Price; grandchildren Stephanie, John, Tristan (Elizabeth) Logstrom, Dustin Price and Krista Price and her partner Jermyn; her great-grandchildren Kacin, June, Caleb, Carter and Max; her cats Missy and Starbright; her sisters Arlene Jeanneret, Kay and Alan Moore, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Ellen adopted many people into our family that called her Mom or Grandma: Kellie Rieirsgard/Shipman and her kids; Lisa and Jacob Bell; Linzi and Sean Napier and their Theo; her only daughter-in-law Brenda Garris and her kids Jake and Mellisa; Austin and Amber Gambrell with Bryton and Bailey; Leanna and Family, Cindy, Tyson, Darrel, Susan, Jeri, Perry, Lupe, Robert, Candy; Adam and Sarah Blurher and Lilly and Bella; Tara, Linzi, Lisa and Mellisa.

A Funeral service will be held at Keith & Keith Funeral Home Saturday, October 7, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. with burial to follow at Wenas Cemetery.

To share a memory of Ellen, please visit www.keithandkeith.com