Ellen Graves

Ellen Sandall Graves, 66 years young, passed away peacefully in the morning hours of Tuesday, January 6th, 2026, after a short, yet valiant battle with cancer. She spent her last evening with loved ones sharing laughter, movie references and memories, happily sipping on a hospital version of a "dirty soda".

Ellen was born February 8th,1959, to Ruby Marlene and David Sandall in Ogden, Utah. She grew up in Layton, UT, with older brother Stephen and briefly attended the University of Utah. She began working at a radio station in downtown Salt Lake City, where she met Roger Graves. They were married on June 12, 1982, and made their home in West Valley City before moving to Taylorsville where they spent the last 25 years.

Ellen loved jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, spending time with her grandchildren, and anything Disney. She made several trips to Disneyland with her family to see her favorite characters. She and her family had seasons tickets for the Las Vegas NASCAR races for 20 years. She was also able to travel to some amazing places including Israel, New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Cozumel Mexico, an Alaskan cruise, a cruise to Mexico, and several national parks and monuments. She loved spending time in St. George, Utah, though why she always went in the middle of summer was always a mystery. She could often be found in her favorite chair, with her cat, Missy, curled up on her lap, while enjoying a "dirty soda".

For several years, she was heavily involved in the Utah Diabetes Round-Up Rodeo, where she made lifelong friends. She was also involved in Girl Scouts, the PTA, and whatever wacky things her kids were interested in. Ellen had many fun jobs including working at her daughters' elementary school, KSL radio and television, and selling Avon. Over the last decade, she found her home at Mountain America Credit Union, where she worked as a receptionist at the corporate office and made friends with everyone she encountered.

Ellen is survived by loving husband, Roger; daughters, Allyson and Brianna; grandkids, Lexi and Conner; son-in-law Brian Rolfe; nieces & nephews; brothers-in-law Mark (Kristin) and Matthew (Heather). She was preceded in death by her parents, Marlene and David; stepmother, Judy; brother, Stephen; in-laws Leah and Joseph; sisters-in-law, Leeza and Jill.

Services will be held Saturday, January 17th, 2026, with a viewing at 10am, followed by the funeral at 11am at Larkin Mortuary located at 260 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111, followed by graveside services at Salt Lake City cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local animal shelter or to the American Cancer Society.

There are no words to express how grateful we are for the nurses at LDS Hospital's ICU for the amazing care given the last few hours. The family also wants to express their appreciation to the doctors and nurses at Riverton Hospital, Utah Cancer Specialists, St. Mark's Hospital, and Intermountain Medical Center.