Frances Ellwood

Frances L. Ellwood, 96, of McPherson and Windom, Kansas, passed away on Saturday, December 24, 2011, at her daughter's home in Meridian, ID.

Frances was born on July 15, 1915, in New Carlisle, Ohio, the daughter of Rev. Paul Marshall and Nellie (Bucher) Marshall, and grew up in Methodist parsonages in Ohio, North Carolina, and Alabama.

On August 8, 1940, she was united in marriage to LeRoy A. Ellwood in Cincinnati, Ohio, whom she had met eight years earlier through a pen pal page in a Methodist Sunday School paper. They celebrated 71 years of marriage. LeRoy preceded her in death on October 4, 2011.

Mrs. Ellwood worked 11 years on McPherson Main Street as manager of the ladies department in Morris & Son Clothiers, retiring in 1977. She was best known, however, as a Bible teacher. For 24 years, she taught community Menninger Bible Courses in Windom and McPherson. She was also a life-long Sunday School teacher, and descipled many children and adults at the First Baptist Church, McPherson, where she was a member.

She is survived by two daughters, Beverly Horn and husband, Dale, of Meridian, Idaho and Barbara Seaman and husband, Le, of Lawrence, Kansas; three grandchildren, Sherry Sheets of Homedale, Idaho, Lori Oekerman of Portland, Oregon, and Derek Seaman of San Diego, California; six great-grandchildren, Mandy Shenk, Wendy Wall, Shane Sheets, Daniel Oekerman, Nathan Oekerman, and Elizabeth Oekerman; one great-great grandchild, Gwen Shenk; two sisters, Dorothy Ward and Marilyn Vincent, both of Cincinnati, Ohio; and one brother, William Marshall of Cincinnati, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her husband, LeRoy, a brother, Robert Marshall, and two sisters, Thelma Wright and Helen Snipes.

A funeral service will be at 11:00 AM, Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at Stockham Family Funeral Home with Pastor Les Cantrell officiating. Burial will follow in the Windom Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 3:00 to 7:00 PM, Tuesday, January 3, at Stockham Family Funeral Home with the family receiving friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.

A joint memorial service for LeRoy and Frances will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, at the First Baptist Church.

Memorial donations may be given to the First Baptist Church in care of Stockham Family Funeral Home, 205 North Chestnut, McPherson, KS 67460. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Frances Ellwood please visit our Sympathy Store.