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Ellen Best Obituary
Ellen E. Best, age 92, passed away on Dec. 10, 2017, in Butte, Montana.
Ellen was born and raised on a ranch east of Garneill, Montana. She graduated from Buffalo High School in 1942 and Great Falls Commercial College in 1943.
She then lived for a year in El Paso, Texas, before moving to Compton, California, and following World War II returned to Montana, where she and her husband Calvin raised two children, Howard and Kay.
Following her divorce in 1970, Ellen moved to California until her retirement in 1985, when she returned to Billings. This past August she moved to Butte to be near her daughter.
During her retirement years, Ellen logged thousands of hours volunteering for RiverStone Hospice, Yellowstone County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, Eagle Cliff Manor, and the Billings Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center.
A member of Hope United Methodist Church and a 50-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Vesper Chapter #83, she enjoyed oil painting, cooking, reading, and crossword puzzles.
Ellen is survived by her son, Howard (Jennifer) Best of Miles City, Montana, and her daughter, Kay (Scott) Haight of Butte, Montana; grandchildren Stephanie (Kyle) Cooper of Gillette, Wyoming, Lee (Jamie) Baker of Richmond, Kentucky, and Erin (Scott) Jackson of Nashville, Tennessee; and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her two brothers, Raymond Luther and Donald Luther, and her grandson, Lincoln Best.
In lieu of flowers, she preferred memorials be made to a charity of the donor's choice. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at Heights Family Funeral Home, and services will be held at noon on Thursday, Dec. 14, at the same location. Interment will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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