Ellen Neel McQuillan

Born on August 31, 1932, to Catherine Berry McKinney and William Neel McKinney, Ellen was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, where she attended The Ensworth School and Vanderbilt University. She also received a degree from the University of Oklahoma (1954). Her mother, born in 1905, notably received a degree in chemistry and went on to work as one of the first women scientists teaching at Vanderbilt University. Her father was a Tennessee State Senator, and her uncle a Tennessee Supreme Court justice.

From early childhood, she shared a lifelong bond with her best friend, Carolyn Norman Tune of Nashville. Their friendship—formed even before birth, as their mothers were pregnant at the same time—endured through childhood adventures at the Tune family homes on the Ensworth campus, summers spent along the river at the family camp, Birdsong, through marriage, raising sons together, and visiting one another as often as possible throughout their lives.

A Magna Carta Dame, Ellen was first married to John Smith Zink (deceased), with whom she was blessed with three sons: Neel (of Tulsa, Oklahoma), Colin (who predeceased her at the age of 33), and Whitney (of Denver).

She later married the love of her life, retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel and Judge, Hugh Dean McQuillan, who preceded her in death in 2006.

Ellen was a woman of wide-ranging interests and refined taste. Her Aunt Catherine accurately reflected that “Ellen surrounds herself with beauty.” Ellen was a voracious reader, a breeder of champion Airedales, a meticulous decorator of a large dollhouse and collector of primitive Oaxacan art. Her life was also marked by her many beloved pets, including many dogs and her longtime companion, Nigel, an African Grey parrot. A gifted indoor gardener, Ellen transformed her home into a vibrant sun-filled sanctuary—even successfully growing orchids, limes, and lemons in Colorado. She filled every space she inhabited with elegance, warmth, and grace.

She was an avid world traveler, notably attending the coronation of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Her travels to Africa were especially meaningful to her and left a lasting imprint, reflected in her cherished collection of warthog, monkey, rhino, and elephant ephemera. Over the years, Ellen made homes in many places, including Nashville; Tulsa; Santa Fe; Oaxaca, Mexico; Colorado Springs, and London, where she spent weeks at a time.

Those who mourn her loss include her sons, Whitney and Neel; Maria Gisela Villavicencio of Colorado Springs and her extended family; many cousins, including Beau Hott of Denver and Margaret Barker of Hawaii; Hugh’s granddaughter, Jodi Lyn Cutler of Rhode Island and her family; and numerous longtime friends, including the entire Tune family, Kathy Bliss Quasula of Las Vegas, and neighbors who counted Ellen as family.

No service is planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a favorite charity in her memory.