December 10, 1961 – April 24, 2023

With love and heartbreak we announce the death of Ellen Lathrop Strang Nieslanik. After a 25+ year battle with Scleroderma, Ellen died on April 24, 2023 in Waldport, OR, surrounded by family. She was 61.

Ellen was born in Glenwood Springs, CO on December 10th, 1962, the second of four daughters to Mary and Bart Strang. She graduated from Meeker High School in 1980 and Colorado State University in 1984. Through her career, Ellen worked in politics in Washington, D.C, was a criminal defense paralegal, the Director of the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials, and a life-long sheep rancher in Colorado and Oregon.

Ellen prepared for death with the same enthusiasm, honesty, and tender-hearted love that she summoned every day of her life. Always gracious, never afraid, she approached each hand she was dealt with curiosity and gusto. You can read more of her prolific writing on her blog: https://ellennieslanik.wixsite.com/tendingtheherd

Ellen is preceded in death by her father, Bart Strang and survived by her husband Joe Nieslanik, 61; children: Meg Nieslanik, 32, Jake Nieslanik, 30, and Sam Nieslanik, 25; her mother, Mary Strang, 84; and three sisters, Mary, Sarah, and Lisa.