Ellen Broughton Obituary

Broughton
Ellen Kay
Broughton
October 23, 1946
May 9, 2025

Ellen Kay Broughton passed into the presence of Jesus on May 9th in South Carolina after a long battle with dementia/Alzheimer's disease. Ellen was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, on October 23, 1946 to John and Kay Hennink. At Calvin College, she was a part of The Navigators campus ministry. Ellen became a Registered Nurse in 1968, and for the rest of her life, she was connected to both Nursing and The Navigators.
As a nurse, Ellen worked in: Pre-Op and Post-Op, Emergency Room, Doctor's Office, a British hospital, elder care, and 15 years at a Mobile Blood Bank in Colorado Springs. In 1974. Ellen married Chuck Broughton, a staff member of The Navigators. With The Navigators, Ellen and Chuck ministered in Europe, the Middle East and Africa before moving to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1977, to train and develop new Navigator Staff.
Next, they served in Indonesia, Singapore and Colorado Springs until 2023. When Chuck began doing prison ministry, Ellen often accompanied him into Colorado, Louisiana and Indiana prisons. At First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, Ellen taught classes, led a weekly prayer group, and helped establish a faith-based mental illness group.
Ellen loved God, loved the Bible, loved her family (and enjoyed walking with friends anytime!)
She was very social and always looked forward to getting together with life-long friends as well any new people she met. Ellen also liked to sing and play piano from when she was a youngster to her older years. Ellen is survived by her brother, John as well as her three children, Kevin, Eric and Greg. When Eric (and his wife, Laura, and children, Lucy and Violet), moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina, Chuck and Ellen followed in 2024 to be able to live nearby in another assisted living community.
One of Ellen's friends wrote: "I have such warm and precious memories of Ellen. She was the dearest friend I have ever known and a wonderful gift from God. She touched countless lives with her love, kindness, wisdom and servanthood."
A Memorial Service for Ellen will be held at First Presbyterian Church on Monday, August 4, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time). The address of the church is: 219 East Bijou Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado.