Obituary of Ellen Colley Atkins

Ellen Colley Atkins was born January 31, 1931, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Richard P. and Golden E. Colley.  Ellen graduated from Central High School and the University of Oklahoma.  She married Donald B. Atkins in 1951 to whom she was married for just under 70 years before he passed away in 2020.

Ellen is survived by her children, Leslie Pritchard (husband, Bob), Blake Atkins (wife, Mandy), and Mark Atkins (wife, Latoya), 6 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.

Ellen was a member of Pi Phi Alumnae Club, Junior League of Tulsa, Colonial Dames, and was active, early on, with Children’s Day Nursery. She was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church for almost 60 years. She served on Altar Guild for many of those years and loved participating in needlepointing a number of their kneelers.  She loved to play tennis and Bridge with her lifelong friends.

Ellen and Don had a tremendous bond as husband and wife, parents, grandparents and great- grandparents.  They spent the last 30 years of their married life enjoying their travels together all over the globe. Ellen and Don loved hiking, biking, walking, cross-country skiing, cruising and looking forward to the next adventure. They loved watching sports together and following their grandchildren’s activities.  Ellen will always be remembered by her friends and their families for her famous Christmas cookies and the countless charity and wedding invitations she prepared utilizing her skills with calligraphy.

A memorial service will be held 3:00 p.m. Friday, January 31, 2025 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 4200 S. Atlanta Place, Tulsa, OK 74105.  A reception will follow at the church. Friends may contribute in Ellen’s memory to St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Ninde Funeral | Mosaic Memorial Cremation | (918) 742-5556 | ninde.com