Ellen Smith

Ellen Frances Smith Compton returned to her Father in Heaven on December 18, 2020 in Cheyenne, Wyoming at the age of 85.

Ellen is survived by her husband, Gerry; her children, Meredith (Dexter), Todd, Bruce, Phillip, Benjamin, Daniel, Stephen and Rosemary (Newbry); 34 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Ellen was born in Danville, Virginia on June 19, 1935 to Alice Mae Meredith and Theodore Karr Compton. Ellen graduated high school from Cheyenne High School in 1953.

Upon graduation, Ellen began nurse’s training at St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver and graduated in 1955 and then worked as a registered nurse at Cheyenne’s Memorial Hospital for five years. She married Dr. Gerald Smith on August 29, 1959 in Biloxi, Mississippi.  They subsequently made their home in Cheyenne where they raised their eight children and enjoyed 61 years of Wyoming winters, summers and beautiful sunsets.

In 1959 she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was sealed to her husband in the Salt Lake City Temple in 1960.

Her family remembers her as a kind, devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who encouraged them to do their best, serve others, and love God.  She was an active and dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She often volunteered at church Young Women camps and was known as “Nurse Nice”.  Ellen also volunteered at STRIDE Learning Center, an early intervention preschool for Laramie County.   She loved to cook, garden and listen to music -- classical music and show tunes being her favorite. She imparted a love for reading and camping to her children.  She especially enjoyed the mountains and wildflowers of Wyoming.

After Gerry retired in 1996, Ellen and Gerry served five missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over a span of 20 years in the following places: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Quito, Ecuador; Morristown, New Jersey; and Denver Colorado. She left an enduring legacy of love and service in each of these places, strengthening and inspiring those she served.  Ellen was also a temple worker at the Denver CO and Ft Collins temples for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – a place that she dearly loved to be.

Ellen’s final days were spent at Aspen Wind Assisted Living Community in Cheyenne.  The family extends gratitude to the staff there and to staff at Davis Hospice for their service rendered to their wife and mother.

A celebration of Ellen’s life is scheduled for Monday, December 28, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 309 Western Hills Blvd., Cheyenne.  A virtual option through is available to those who cannot attend in person by going to www.schradercares.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Latter-day Saint Charities at www.latterdaysaintcharities.org/.

Condolence may be offered to the family on-line at www.schradercares.com.