Judith Ellen Arnold

Ellen Bragg Arnold, a brilliant scholar and lifelong learner who helped open doors for women in science, died April 25 at the mountain home she shared with her beloved husband, Bob, and their dogs, Finnbar and Kiva. She was 79.

Ellen was born April 7, 1947, in Wichita, Kansas, the first child of Addison and Dolores Bragg and the first grandchild of Addis and Martha McGrath of Butte, Montana, and Harry and Florence Bragg of Iola, Kansas.

She grew up in Billings, where the family lived on the Rocky Mountain College campus for several years. 

Relatively undeveloped at the time, the campus provided a vast playground for Ellen and her brother, Johnny, and sister, Peggy, to wander at will, even as toddlers.

The family moved to the South Side in 1958 after Ellen's youngest sister, Beth, was born. Their modest home was filled with books, humor and lively conversation. 

As a youngster, Ellen devoured the "Book of Knowledge" and absorbed page after page of the family's encyclopedias. One of her favorite books was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," the story of a young girl determined to escape poverty by getting an education.

Ellen attended Fratt School, Garfield School and Billings Central High School. She graduated from Central in 1965 with a four-year, full-ride scholarship to Denver University.

Ellen was an exceptional student and a trailblazer. After graduating from DU with a degree in zoology, she became one of the first women to attend medical school at the University of Colorado, where she earned a PhD in pharmacology. "Ellen was always mysterious and exotic to me. A scientist! My first example of a woman in science," said a family friend 10 years Ellen's junior, who went on to earn a degree in science herself.

She met Robert Arnold while in college. He came to Boulder with a chemistry degree from Stanford and was working in a lab where Ellen was doing research. On their first date, Bob took Ellen for a motorcycle ride in the mountains. The road was steep and the bike was borrowed, Bob said, "and anyway, I dumped her off the bike."

No worries. Later that day they shared their first kiss, and a couple of years later, in 1974, they married.

 Ellen distinguished herself professionally at Syntex Chemicals, where she spent five years as the manager of environmental operations before gaining a position on the seven-person Operating Committee as the director of environmental affairs. She often served as a company spokesperson.

After 14 years with the company, she returned to her natural habitat - the classroom. She earned a masters degree in counseling in 1995 from the University of Northern Colorado.

In 1979, Bob and Ellen moved north of Boulder and became enthusiastic mountain dwellers. They had to evacuate their log house twice because of wildfires, and the experiences inspired Ellen to become involved in the local fire department. She eventually became president of the board of directors, a position that inspired her to take EMT classes so she could better understand the duties of firefighters.

She spent several years on the board of directors of two Boulder nonprofits - the People's Clinic and the Counseling Center.

Ellen and Bob traveled the world, often by cruise ship. Ellen's life-long quest for knowledge meant she and Bob always knew the history and culture of the places and people they visited. They were particularly drawn to the American West and Southwest, especially the art, history and landscape of New Mexico.

Ellen was a keen wit who appreciated a clever turn of phrase, whether she delivered it or someone else did. She was a master of puzzles - crosswords, anacrostics, Connections, you name it - and a world-class trivia partner. 

She was a huge sports fan, a passion that took root as a teenager in Billings when she worked as an "usherette" at Billings Mustangs baseball games at Cobb Field. The job included patrolling for burning cigarettes and matches underneath the wooden bleachers, which offered her a chance to spy on some of the action.

She enjoyed skiing and hiking but her favorite athletic pursuit was figure skating. She took lessons as an adult and for many years was a regular at the ice rink.

She followed the Broncos, the Avalanche, the Nuggets, the Rockies and CU. The week before she died, she enthused that the Nuggets and Avs had each won their first playoff game and that the Bronco owners had just purchased 40 percent of the Rockies. "Good time to be a sports fan in Denver!" she said. 

She cherished life in the mountains and remained there with Bob and a steady supply of precious golden retrievers until her death.

Ellen is survived by Robert Arnold, her husband of nearly 52 years, and their dogs, Finnbar and Kiva; brother John Bragg of Coos Bay, Oregon; sisters Peggy Ann (Matt) Rosinski of Tulalip, Washington, and Beth Bragg of Anchorage, Alaska; sister-in-law Caroline Arndt of Sun City, Arizona; niece Jessica Bragg of Coos Bay; nephew Dylan Bragg of Eugene, Oregon; nephew Justin Arndt of Dublin, California; grandniece Mandolyn Wheaton of Coos Bay; great-grandniece Alaina Wheaton of Coos Bay; and best-friend-forever Laury Yates of New York, who met Ellen in college. 

Memorial donations may be made to the Boulder Humane Society.