Ellen Ann Locke

Ellen Ann Locke was born on July 16, 1951 in Abilene, KS to the late Paul Edward and Pauline Bethel (Kohart) Hazelton. She transitioned out of this life surrounded by her family on February 15th, 2026, at the age of 74 years, 7 months, and 1 day. Ellen and Daniel Craig were married on April 10th, 1976. He preceded her in death on July 2, 2014.

Ellen was the first person in her family to receive a college degree. She started out in healthcare working at a nursing home, and she later went on to become an RN, BSN. Her hard work and dedication to both her coworkers and patients naturally led her to leadership roles. She was the Director of Nursing for 6 East Med Surg at Via Christi St. Joe for 5 years and 6 months. As a nursing informatics consultant for seventeen years, she traveled to various hospitals across North America, including hospitals in Canada and Puerto Rico. Consulting allowed her to build a lot of new friendships, which was something Ellen seemed destined to do and greatly enjoyed. Ellen’s natural gifts of building new relationships and making new friends flourished in her role as a consultant, allowing her to touch many lives and leave a lasting impact on everyone she met.

Ellen could light up any room she walked into. She was known for her kindhearted nature, empathy, sharp wit, and humor. She always found a way to make people feel special, and she was extremely dedicated to the people she loved. Ellen was the life of the party and a master storyteller. She possessed a beautiful singing voice and oftentimes could be heard humming while walking the floor at work. She greatly enjoyed her role as “Nana.”

Ellen is survived by her granddaughter, Alicia Reynolds, and fiancé, Eduardo Rivera, of the home; four great-grandchildren, Lianna, Emilio, Jaxson, and Myles, of the home; sisters Judy Kohart and Jamie Davidson of Abilene, KS; brother Dave Hazelton and wife, Becky, of Hutchinson, KS; along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Along with her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Sheila; older sister, Linda; and baby sister, Paula.

In leu of flowers, the family would welcome donations towards memorial costs. Checks can be made out to Alicia Reynolds