Ellen Mae Holden
Ellen Mae (Busse) Holden, 77, of Bucyrus, MO, passed away December 28, 2020 at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, MO.
Ellen was born in St. Clair, MO, November 24, 1943, to Henry and Ellen (Richards) Busse. She grew up in Anaconda and attended high school in Sullivan, MO, from where she graduated in 1961. Ellen came to know God and was saved and baptized at Stanton Baptist Church, at the age of fifteen. She was united in marriage to Manuel Holden on May 29, 1962. Together, they had seven sons: Manuel Randal (Randy), David Wayne, Gary Lynn, Steven William, Roy Eugene, Gregory Shane and Daniel Bryan.
Ellen raised her seven sons with a firm, yet gentle hand, and incorporated lessons from the Bible in the way she directed them on how to live and behave. She was always repeating the golden rule. She worked many overtime hours to make sure the family had their needs taken care of. Her kind and quiet demeanor helped in making quick friends of anyone she met.
Ellen enjoyed being MOM to anyone who entered her home. She was always cooking and cleaning, sewing and doing word search puzzles. Tuesdays were spent getting her hair done and doing weekly shopping. Ellen’s work life included jobs at Brown Shoe factories in Union, MO, and Houston, MO, the potato packing plant in Caldwell, ID, Lee Manufacturing in Houston, MO, and Houston Sportswear, from which she retired. Ellen was also well known in Texas County as an Avon sales representative for many years, as she covered many miles garnering a plethora of good friends.
Throughout her life, she’d been known to take others into her home who needed a place to stay and a helping hand, even though her own means were meager at best. So many called her mom, that to say she is survived by so many of them the number would be far too high to list here.
Ellen enjoyed the occasional family reunions, weddings and get togethers, where she could see those she missed, catch up with them, and of course, get to meet the new babies born into the family. Ellen will be sorely missed by all that knew her.
Ellen is survived by seven sons: Manuel Randal (Randy) Holden of Success, MO, David Wayne Holden of the family home, Gary Lynn Holden and wife, Loretta, of Cabool, MO, Steven William Holden of Kansas City, MO, Roy Eugene Holden of Indianapolis, IN, Gregory Shane Holden of Success, MO, and Daniel Bryan Holden and wife, Stacy, of Success, MO; thirteen grandchildren; twenty-three great-grandchildren; four sisters: Doris Mae Potter of Manchester, MO, Henrietta Hoke and husband, Frank, of Sullivan, MO, Kathy Kittleson and husband, Chuck, of Toney, AL, and Shirley Steinbach of Sullivan, MO; two brothers, Henry Busse of Bourbon, MO, and Melvin Busse and wife, Dianne, of Fordland, MO; and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Ellen Busse; a sister, Norma Jean Varuel; and two brothers, Douglas Bradshaw and Charles Bradshaw.
Funeral services were held 1 p.m., Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at Eaton Funeral Home in Sullivan, with Pastor Chester Lahmann officiating. Ellen will then be laid to rest in Anaconda Cemetery.