Kaye Ellis

Kaye Richmond Ellis was born September 19, 1939 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Harold and Ruth Lloyd Richmond. She passed away September 27, 2020 at St. Joseph’s Villa in Salt Lake City, Utah following a myriad of health problems.

While growing up, Kaye lived in El Paso, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona and finally back in Salt Lake City. She attended and graduated from Olympus High in 1957, where she worked on the school newspaper. Mom was part of the first graduating class from the newly constructed school. She attended BYU, where she met her future husband, Victor Gary Ellis. They were married on December 3, 1959 in the Salt Lake Temple where they were sealed by Kaye’s paternal grandfather, Charles B. Richmond. She worked for four years for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Salt Lake Office as part of their stenography pool, a job she enjoyed & found fascinating. This was back before word processors and spell-check. All reports were taken by dictation using shorthand, then typed up letter-perfect, with no errors or spelling mistakes.

Mom helped dad coach their son’s Little League Baseball team for 5 summers, jumping in with both feet, almost to the point of fanatical! Kaye loved animals, particularly cats and dogs. It always seemed as though stray cats from all over found their way to her door, where she welcomed them into the family. Mom also enjoyed reading good books, watching and critiquing movies, playing the piano, listening to good music, and corresponding with family and friends. She had a stellar vocabulary and enjoyed using words people didn’t always know the meaning of. Kaye knew how she wanted things to be, and tried her very darndest to make them that way, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not (much to her consternation)! Mom was known for her fabulous cooking & homemade ice cream, making birthdays, Sunday dinner, and holidays deliciously memorable.

Mom served in various callings in the Church throughout her life. She was a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency, a Young Married Activities Coordinator with Dad, a Primary teacher, and Primary Pianist for 18 years. She typed the weekly ward program/announcement bulletin for 20 yrs., utilizing a good ‘ol-fashioned typewriter on a special mimeograph stencil, way back before copy machines were a common thing (word processors had not yet been created).

We miss her dearly, but are grateful she is no longer in physical or emotional pain.

We wish to thank all the staff on 2 North at St. Joseph’s Villa and Alexis with Symbii Hospice for their kind, caring treatment of mom over the last 15 months. We can never fully express our deep love and gratitude for your service.

Kaye is survived by her husband, Victor Gary Ellis, daughter Vicki (David) Ottley, and son Eric (Jana) Ellis, and sister-in-law Julie Richmond. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Lloyd H, Richmond, and numerous cats and a dog.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Humane Society of Utah in Kaye’s name.

Per her request, a private family burial was held on October 7, 2020 at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.