Mary Ellen Held October 2, 1932 ~ February 29, 2020

Mary Ellen Held, 87, of Parachute, Colorado, passed away February 29, 2020, after a brief battle of pancreatic cancer.Ellen was born on October 2, 1932, to John and Ida Gitchell in Campo, Colorado. The family moved to Mesa, Colorado, in 1938 where Mary Ellen attended school and graduated valedictorian of the class of 1950, the last graduating class of Mesa High School. She married Clifford R. Held on June 15, 1952, in Mesa.Ellen retired in 1995 from the Basalt City Market. She was an avid reader and enjoyed all needle crafts and loved her grandchildren.Ellen was preceded in death by her beloved husband; her parents; brother, David Harmen Gitchell; sister, Betty Grace White; and her baby sister, Ruby Crawford.include daughter, Becky Warner of Mesa; sons, Charles Held of Collbran and Randy (Donna) Held of Basalt; sister, Helen Carnahan of Clifton; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.will be at 10AM on Saturday, March 7, 2020, at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. Interment will be at Mesa Molina Cemetery.lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to HopeWest Hospice.