Obituaries

Ellen Sheffield Ables, 65, of Houston, was escorted through the gates of Heaven on October 15, 2018 in Sherman, Texas. She was a beautiful, adoring mother to her two children and their spouses, a wonderful Nana to her five sweet grandchildren, and a much-loved family member and friend. Looked up to by her children, Ellen was the epitome of a fighter. When faced with raising two kids on her own, she enrolled in school to learn computer programming, a historically male-dominated field, and started her career in computer programming, excelling everywhere she went. During her first bout with cancer, she still managed to balance her career, root for her children at every one of their school choir and theater performances, and provide them with wonderful childhood memories. Later in life, her favorite things were spending time with her kids, spoiling her grandchildren, crushing Sudoku puzzles, being snarky to everyone she met, and her love for thinking “outside the box”. Ellen’s determined spirit and hilarious sense of humor made people draw near to her. She will forever be remembered for the way she ferociously fought cancer until the end, and the way she fiercely loved her family. A visitation will be at 5:30pm on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at Dannel Funeral Home, 302 South Walnut, Sherman, Texas 75090. Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm on Sunday, October 21, 2018 at Dannel Funeral Home, 302 South Walnut, Sherman, Texas 75090, with Pastor Leland Samuelson, officiating. Burial will take place at a later date in Houston, Texas. Ellen was born in Houston to James and Joann Brubaker on November 9, 1952. She graduated from Westbury High School. She was a brilliant and trusted computer programmer for many, many years. Ellen is reunited in Heaven with her mother and father. She is survived by her daughter, Diana Richards and son-in-law, James Richards, III; son, Cratin Sheffield, and daughter-in-law, Alison Sheffield; her grandchildren, Zane Sheffield, Marisa Richards, Asher Sheffield, Jimmy Richards, IV, and Ivy Kate Sheffield; brother, Don Brubaker and sister-in-law, Cecilia Brubaker; and her many friends and family. The family clings to John 3:16, which states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In lieu of flowers, please honor Ellen’s memory with a donation to Reba’s Ranch House in Denison,TX ( rebasranchhouse.org ) or your favorite cancer research organization.