Ellen Mcfate

Ellen J. McFate, 96, of Bettendorf, Iowa passed away on Saturday, December 15, 2018 at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf.

Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home, Bettendorf.  Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the funeral home.  Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Princeton Presbyterian Church, Princeton, Iowa.

Ellen was born on September 3, 1922 in Happy Hollow, Illinois, the daughter of Charles and Olga (Sierk) Kerr.  On January 3, 1942, she married Eldon “Larry” McFate at the Little Brown Church in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.  Ellen was a member of Princeton Presbyterian Church, where she also held the honor of being their oldest member.  She also served as a Ladies Aid at the church.  Throughout her life she worked at various places including Johnson Manufacturing, Rhodes Cleaners, McNamaras, as well as a self-employed Avon consultant.  Ellen enjoyed sewing and mending clothes, gardening and cooking.  She will be fondly remembered for her delicious roast beef and fried chicken, the beautiful roses she would grow, and her love for Dale Earnhardt Sr.

She is survived by daughter, Karen “Sue” (Fred) Brown of Moline, Illinois; sons, Dennis “Denny” McFate of Bettendorf, Loren (Patti) McFate of Davenport, Dino (Deb) McFate of Davenport; 14 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Larry, in 1993; sons, Terrance “Terry” McFate and Larry “Chubbs” McFate; and a grandson, Shaun McFate.