Ella Mae Welker King of Chula Vista, Calif., passed away on Oct. 10, 2010 in Alpine, Calif., at the age of 90.
Ella was born in Joplin, Mo., on July 7, 1920, the daughter of Ira and Clara Mae Welker, who were both teachers.
She married her childhood sweetheart, Wayne King, on Aug. 3, 1938 in Riverton, Kan. They had been married for more than 64 years when Wayne passed in April 2004.
She was a longtime member of the Methodist Church in Chula Vista. She worked at Ryan Aircraft during World War II as a secretary and on the assembly line. She worked as a secretary and notary for many San Diego businesses. For 10 years, she volunteered for the Norman Park Center for Caring Neighbors sponsored by the American Red Cross.
Ella and Wayne had two daughters, Barbara Mae “Nickel” (Lander) and Susan Ellen Kelley (Jenkins), and a son, the late James Ira King. In the early 1950s, the couple purchased a cabin in Pine Cove because of their love for the mountain communities of Pine Cove and Idyllwild. Many family friends, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have visited or resided there over the years. Ella named the cabin “The Rest Awhile.” Ella enjoyed the Memorial Day yard sales.
Ella’s favorite poem, author unknown, was submitted by her granddaughter, Jenny Lee Adamson:
“Have you ever walked along a path
and looked ahead of you
to where the road turned suddenly
and seemed lost awhile from view?
Think of your dear one living still,
where the road goes on without end.
It is only we who do not see
the path beyond the bend.”