Jacqueline "Jackie" Ellis

Jacqueline Nott Ellis was born in Salt Lake City, Utah May 21st, 1929 to Ernest and Arlyne Carpenter Nott. As a small child she lived in Kemmerer and then Green River, Wyoming where her father worked for the Union Pacific Railroad and later owned the Conoco service station, in which she worked as a teenager, changing oil, doing brake jobs and filling tanks. This gave her a life-long love of cars. A major milestone for Jackie in high school was being selected to attend Girls’ State where she met young women who became life-long friends. After graduation she worked as a Union Pacific Railroad teletype operator for a year before moving to Salt Lake to live with her grandparents and work as a secretary for the ZCMI department store. In the fall of 1949 Jackie went to the University of Wyoming where she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, majored in Business and English and graduated cum laude in 1953. In the fall of 1953, she moved to Casper where she was hired as a secretary for Ohio Oil (Marathon). In Casper she became reacquainted with rancher Frank "Pinky" Ellis (they had previously met in Laramie) and they were married in Green River February 5th, 1955 - in a snow storm. Three children blessed their marriage, Sean, Brendan and Maura, with a succession of border collies adding zest. She was an integral part of the ranch, cooking, helping with calf branding, sheep shearing and docking. She branded at least 100,000 lambs in her “career”.

With their youngest in kindergarten, Jackie substitute taught at Kelly Walsh High School, certified to teach in one semester and was hired for business and language arts. Teaching money management was her claim to fame. After 22 years interacting with outstanding students and staff, she retired. She often ran into former students and remembered most of their names. One student famously said, “Did you used to be Mrs. Ellis?” She said, “I still am.”

Many organizations benefited from Jackie’s membership: Consumer Credit Counseling, Reliant Credit Union board, Casper Service League, National and Wyoming Wool Growers Association, Kappa Kappa Gamma Alums, Wyoming State and Natrona County Historical Societies, Oregon/California Trails Association and Fort Caspar Museum Association. She sold thousands of fund-raising Historical Society calendars, judged History Day contests and served on multiple boards. Believing that many special people go unrecognized, she wrote dozens of successful award nominations for individuals in various organizations, particularly the Wyoming State Historical Society. Jackie was twice nominated for Casper’s Woman of Distinction and in 2023 received the Wyoming Historical Society’s Mabel Brown Cumulative Contribution Award for her long-standing and ongoing commitment and contributions to Wyoming and its history. She was a communicator and instigator, keeping various friend groups in touch, and for this her friends are especially grateful. Jackie was a woman who saw what needed to be done and did it.

In retirement, she and Pinky loved to travel visiting every continent except Antarctica, which was next on the list. Jackie was a life-long learner; her favorite book was the dictionary, and her dream job would have been a Research Librarian. Gardening was a passion and she knew the names of hundreds of plants and flowers. Jackie had a sharp wit and brilliant smile. She laughed frequently and loved deeply. We will really miss her.

She is survived by her children Sean Ellis (Barb) Casper; Brendan Ellis, Casper; Maura Youle, Durango, CO and three outstanding grandchildren, Seano Ellis (Kerstin), Casper; Brigid Youle Sanchez (Kevin), Durango, Jack Youle, Durango; two special great-grandchildren Nevin and Neils Ellis, Casper; sisters-in-law Ruth Ellis Schulte, Portland, OR; Sally Ellis, Casper; Ellen Nott, Fremont, CA; several nieces and nephews and friends of all ages.

Gone before: Her husband of 67 years Frank "Pinky" Ellis; her parents Ernie and Arlyne Nott; brother Ben Nott; father and mother-in-law Frank and Brigid Ellis; sister-in-law Maureen Ellis Bergman; brothers-in-law TJ Ellis and Arthur “Duke” Schulte; son-in-law John Youle, and priceless friends.

Visitation and recitation of the rosary will be Friday, August 29th at Bustard-Jacoby Funeral home, 7:00 PM. A Funeral Mass will take place Saturday, August 30th at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 10:00 AM with a luncheon in St. Patrick’s Commons after the service. The service will be live-streamed on You Tube through the link available below.

Memorial contributions may be given to Children’s Advocacy Project 350 N. Ash Street, Casper, WY 82601, Meals On Wheels 1760 E. 12th Street, Casper, WY 82601 or Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions, 319 S. Wilson Street, Casper WY 82601.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions and Mel’s Helping Hands, both of whom came to our aid when we really needed help.