Ellen Johanna Melson

Ellen Johanna MELSON Was born on March 26, 1914 to Sine and Per Hansen on a farm outside Randers, Denmark, one of seven children. She married Borge Hofman in 1938 and her son, Tom Oliver (né Morten Hofman), was born in 1945. After WWII ended, Ellen and Tom emigrated to the U.S., joining her brothers who were already in the Pacific Northwest. In 1952, Ellen married her second husband, Tom Oliver, and settled in Tacoma. After Tom Oliver (senior) died in 1966, Ellen met her third husband, Erik Melson, a fellow Danish immigrant. She and Erik settled in North Seattle and melded their families. Together, Ellen and Erik spent a great deal of time on their boat and at the Queen City Yacht Club. Ellen was a grandmother-extraordinaire: playing games, teaching her granddaughters to knit, bake and play cards, cooking delicious meals, and spending many hours talking over cups of black coffee. She recounted stories of childhood and war years in Denmark, and had an amazing sense of humor even to the last days of her life. Ellen was preceded in death by her siblings and many beloved cousins and friends. She is survived by her son, Tom Oliver and daughter-in-law, Kathy Oliver; step-daughter, Joanne Mehus; granddaughters, Stephanie Winkelmann, Siri Mehus, and Kristin Mehus-Roe and their husbands Jeff, Steve and Andrew; great-grandchildren, Riley, Charlie, Mina, Jack, and Joie; and cousin Ellen-Marie Rystrom. A memorial will be held on August 10, 2:00 pm, at the Lakeridge Lutheran Church, 7465 S. 112th St., Seattle, WA 98178.