Elaine Rosalie Eck

Elaine Rosalie Ellis Eck was born in Davenport, Iowa on September 16, 1927 to Bryant T. and Navada O. Ellis. Elaine was the eldest of three children. A brother, Bryant Jr., and sister Mary Ann have preceded her in death. The Ellis family relocated to Sheridan, Wyoming in the mid 1930's, where her father found steady work. First as a blacksmith, then as a deputy sheriff, and finally as a ranch owner in Clearmont, Wyoming. Elaine attended local schools in Clearmont, graduating from high school there in 1945. Not overly fond of Clearmont, nor the ranching life, Elaine went on to study nursing at the University of Wyoming. "Clearmont wasn't hell, but you could see it from there", as she used to say. The University's nursing school program included a residency that was to be served at the Deaconess Hospital in Great Falls, Montana. It was in Great Falls where she met Edward Eck, an Army Air Corp pilot from Anaconda, who was in flight training for the Berlin Airlift. Upon graduation from nursing school in 1949, she became engaged to Edward, and they were married in December of 1950. Ed and Elaine settled in Anaconda, where he joined his family's construction business, and she worked as a registered nurse for various doctors and medical clinics. Sons Ted and David were born in 1953 and 1957. In 1960, Ed and Elaine went on to operate Theodore Eck and Sons as a solely owned entity. They operated the construction business until the mid-1990s. In addition to the family construction business, Elaine was deeply involved in the Anaconda Community, serving in many civic activities and organizations. Elaine was a member of the American Association of University Women, the Chi Omega Sorority, Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile, the Community Concert Association, , and local chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Forever dedicated to health care, Elaine donated a lot of her time to the Community Hospital of Anaconda. She served on the hospital's board of directors, recruited doctors to the Anaconda area, and also helped oversee the construction of the Anaconda's new Community Hospital. Elaine's personal interests included reading, sewing, gourmet cooking, and world travel. Elaine is survived by her daughter-in-law Joann Eck, son David and his wife Patti. She was preceded in death by husband Edward in 2015, and son Ted in 2008. Elaine was grandmother to Heidi Rasmussen, and husband Lars, and grandsons Carl and Justin Eck. She was great grandmother to Aksel, Freja, and Iver Rasmussen. Memorials and contributions can be made to Hope Lutheran Church, 1506 W. Pennsylvania Ave. Anaconda, MT, 59711, The Community Hospital of Anaconda, 401 W. Pennsylvania, Anaconda, MT, 59711, and the Shriners Children's Hospital, PO Box 2472, Spokane, WA 99210-2472, or to an organization of your choice.