Ellen Minnick Wentzel

Ellen Minnick Wentzel, 67, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away on December 28, 2025.

Ellen was born in Luray, Virginia, on August 15, 1958. She spent her childhood years in Virginia and graduated from Cave Spring High School (1977) in Roanoke. She later moved to Orlando, Florida, where she welcomed her two sons, before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, and finally to Overland Park, Kansas in 1996.

A lifelong caregiver at heart, Ellen devoted herself to nurturing others in both her personal and professional life. She lovingly raised her two sons and spent her career caring for others—working in preschools and later serving as a paraprofessional at a local elementary school, where she worked closely with special needs children. Her patience, kindness, and compassion left a lasting impression on those she helped and taught.

Ellen is survived by her mother, Joyce Murray; her sons, Matthew (Jennifer Jefferson) and Jordan Wentzel (Dani); and her four grandchildren, Decker, Tyler, Miller, and Slater, who knew her affectionately as “GaGa.” She is also survived by her sister, Kathy Minnick (Frank Karpiel), and brothers, Mark and Jeff Minnick. She was preceded in death by her father, Malcolm Lee Minnick, Jr.

Ellen will be deeply missed by her family and by all whose lives she touched.