Obituaries

Donna Lee Ellison

Photo of Donna Lee Ellison
Donna Lee Ellison of Rogers, Ark., was born Feb. 29, 1948, in Pea Ridge, Ark., the daughter of Calvin Russell Nichols and Eunice Virginia Clement Nichols. She graduated from Pea Ridge High School in 1965 and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She made her home in Vernon Hills, Ill., where she dedicated her life to raising her two daughters. Donna worked for some years in real estate sales, then as a buyer and then for over 20 years as an administrative assistant for the corporate real estate firm Van Vlissingen and Co. She moved back to Arkansas in 2011. A committed Christian, Donna especially enjoyed participating in Bible study and looking for opportunities to encourage fellowship amongst members of her church. She attended Gracepointe Church in Mundelein, Ill., and the First Church of the Nazarene in Rogers, Ark. She was a self-taught pianist who treasured opportunities to share her joy with others through music. As a creative and artistic person, her interests and talents ranged from writing, scrapbooking, genealogy, painting and more interests far too broad to totally fulfill in one short lifetime. Even during the past year as she endured declining health, she continued to pursue new artistic interests as she was able. She is survived by her two daughters, Alea Dawn Ellison and Arianne Jamie Ellison; by three brothers, Jerry Nichols of Pea Ridge, Ben Nichols of Rogers and John Nichols of Pine Valley, Utah, and their families. She is also survived by many dear friends from the northwest Chicago area to the local communities of Northwest Arkansas. After a year-long illness, she passed away at her home in the early morning of Jan. 1, 2013, at the age of 64. Visitation will be on Friday, Jan. 4, from 5-7 p.m. A funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 5, both at the Rollins Funeral Chapel, with burial to follow at Bland Cemetery in Rogers. Memorials in her honor can be made to http://www.gofundme.com/1rrcng.

Published January 3, 2013

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