Ellen ‘Louise’ Hales

Ellen Louise Watkins Hales, 91, of Arnolds Park, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, just two weeks shy of her 92nd birthday. She will be dearly missed by her family.

Louise (as we all knew her by) was born Dec. 8, 1932, to Ida (Henderson) and Oscar Watkins in a log cabin near Goodnight, Oklahoma. She had three siblings; older brother Louis, younger sister Dorothy, and younger brother James (Bud). They settled in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she spent her childhood years.

As a young adult, she went to college in Lincoln, Nebraska, where she met and married her husband, Vivian “Marion” Hales, in 1952. They moved to a farm near Terrill and had two children, Vickie and Victor.

She worked as a dental assistant and in a jewelry shop before taking on her longtime position at the Terrill School as school board secretary. She later retired and started really enjoying a hobby of quilting. Eventually, she owned a quilt shop in Mesa, Arizona, and shared her passion of quilting with many people. She felt led to come back to Arnolds Park and the Lakes where she enjoyed traveling to see the grandkids playing soccer and participating in dance recitals.

Louise is survived by daughter Vickie (Bob) McBain; grandchildren Brett McBain, Rhiannon (Reid) DenHerder, Katie McBain, Levi (Teri) McBain, Lindsay Eagan and Tyler John Ireland; great-grandchildren Gabriel McBain, Zoey, Kenzie, and Tori DenHerder, Hunter and Madison Eagan, and Ava Ireland. In death, Louise rejoined her parents, brother Louis, ex-husband Marion, and son Victor.

Louise died at Accura Health in Milford. Graveside services and burial are at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Riverside Cemetery in Spencer. Condolences may be sent at www.warnerfuneralhome.com.