Ellen L. Crawford
March 11, 1955 ~ February 27, 2023
Born in:
Minot, ND
Resided in:
Fargo, ND
Ellen’s service will be livestreamed below starting at 10:00 AM Monday March 6, 2023.
Ellen Louise Crawford, 67, Fargo, passed away Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, at Sanford Hospice House, Fargo.
Visitation will be held Monday, March 6, 2023, at Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo, from 9-10 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 10 a.m. with Rev. Jamie Parsley officiating. Burial will be at Rosehill Memorial Cemetery, Minot, N.D.
Ellen was born March 11, 1955, to Bruce and Maija Crawford and grew up in Minot. She lost both of her parents to cancer before she turned 9 and lived with her grandmother, Blanche Crawford, until she was 12. When her grandmother passed away, she went to live with her aunt and uncle, Marvel and James Newlove, who raised her to adulthood.
Despite these early challenges, Ellen went on to have a successful career. Her interest in writing sparked at a young age. She wrote short-fiction stories in grade school and as a teen contributed to her high school newspaper and yearbook. She continued her newspaper and yearbook writing in college, earning degrees in mass communication and journalism at Minot State University and Minnesota State University – Moorhead.
Ellen spent 26 ½ years as a reporter, copy editor and page designer for The Forum in Fargo and 17 years as an information specialist for North Dakota State University Agriculture Communication, retiring in 2022. Her work was recognized throughout her career with numerous state and national awards from North Dakota Professional Communicators, the North Dakota Newspaper Association, and the National Federation of Press Women. An officer and active member of NDPC and NFPW, in 1997 and again in 2012, NDPC named her its Communicator of Achievement, the highest honor bestowed by the organization.
An avid antique collector, Ellen could spot a valuable piece in a quick walkthrough of any shop. She was a voracious reader, who maintained a large collection of books. An enthusiastic hiker, she held a hiking trip to Glacier National Park as her fondest memory. She enjoyed gardening and every summer planted a line of blooming flowers alongside her home. She also was a knitter and over the years donated many of her knitted blankets to area veterans through Fargo Veterans Affairs. Among her favorite social activities was joining friends and colleagues for food and conversation at local Chinese and Mexican restaurants and at the Fargo Sons of Norway. She spent many holidays with the Robinson family of Fargo.
Ellen was a lifetime cat lover and owner; her beloved Maine Coon, Quincy, has been adopted by a friend.
Ellen is survived by her cousins, JoAnne Robertson, Naples, Fla., and Debra Barkalow, Richmond, Va., and by numerous friends who helped her through her cancer journey.
Memorials in Ellen’s honor may be made to Cat’s Cradle Shelter, 9 9th St. S., Fargo, N.D. 58103, or to a charity of your choice.
Services
Visitation - Monday: March 6, 2023 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center
123 10th Street
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
7012376441
www.boulgerfuneralhome.com
Funeral Service - Monday: March 6, 2023 10:00 am
Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center
123 10th Street
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
7012376441
www.boulgerfuneralhome.com
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
Ellen will always be in our hearts and memories.
I used to date Ellen while at MSU. we lost track. I’m so sorry and sad. we went on a Regional Geology trip to Gaciar Park and had a blast. I will miss you.
I valued, treasured and appreciated Ellen as a colleague and friend. I admired her extensive knowledge and expertise and her ever-ready willingness to help, suggest, teach and guide me to become a better writer. She was a humble and gentle soul and I pray she now rests in peace and lives in the joy of heaven.
I was fortunate to meet Ellen through the National Federation of Press Womens. We served several years on the national board together. I enjoyed seeing Ellen last June at the NFPW conference in Fargo. She will be greatly missed. RIP my friend.
God Speed Ellen!
Janet, Professor & Extension Entomologist, NDSU
Ellen was a terrific reporter, and we became friends when she covered all the news at the Cass County Courthouse where I worked. What a great writer, and a smart, humble person. She will be missed.
Ellen….how fondly I remember sitting next to you at sometimes boring West Fargo meetings….wasn’t long until you were promoted to bigger and better stuff!
Rest in peace, Ellen. You will be missed.
I remember Ellen from grade school in Minot. She lived along the river in a beautiful old house with her grandmother. I would go to her house and remember playing with her beautiful toy horses, we spent hours just having fun. Wishing peace to all of Ellen’s family and friends.
Ellen was a classic – an old-school professional journalist who reported the facts and always wanted her stories to be perfectly accurate and without personal opinion. She was the master of the Cass County Courthouse beat and the community benefited from her hard work. Thank you, Ellen, for your contributions to the quality of life in Fargo-Moorhead.
I worked with Ellen at The Forum, though we were in different departments. What a kind and warm soul….
So glad I had the opportunity to meet Ellen for dinner couple of times in St. Paul while she was in remission. Wish I could say the same for this past year. Her worsening illness caught me by surprise, and suddenly she was in hospice. When I saw Ellen, she was quick to smile and laugh as always.
We met as reporters in the mid- to late-70s, and I held her in the highest regard. Accurate. Reliable. Unbiased. My kind of newsie!
Wish I could join Ellen’s colleagues to bid farewell, but with snowstorms hitting WI tonight/tomorrow, I will stay home and watch her funeral on closed caption. Warm hugs to all of you and deepest sympathies over the loss of our friend.
Our daughter Tanya and her husband Steve Olson were her good friends from high school journalism class throughout the rest of their lives. We all thought the best of Ellen. She made our world a better place. We will miss her. From Tanya (who passed away from the same disease as Ellen), Tanya’s siblings Paula McGuinty, and Mark and myself.
Will miss our traveling together over the miles to NDPC and NFPW meetings. You have been a gift to our organizations and community. You used your vocation in the service of others. Fly high my friend.
I got to know Ellen first through ND Professional Communicators but then was pleased to steal her away from The Forum for NDSU Ag Communication. Her news experience and amazing AP style knowledge were just what we needed. And as Mikkel said, she quickly learned that “ag stuff.”
Ellen was a true professional who only occasionally got impatient and flustered — usually with others who made grammatical and similar mistakes and with technology. I’d calmly talk her through the steps on her computer or we’d Google for an answer — or we’d go get the computer guys.
Cancer takes way too many people way too early. You’re at peace now, Ellen. We’ll miss you. Becky
This was a lovely service much like Ellen. She was longtime dear friend. I will miss her laugh and our adventures antiquing and checking out new restaurants. Sorry I couldn’t attend the celebration of Ellen’s life in person and share memories with my Forum friends. Heart felt thanks to everyone who was with in her final days.