Romona Lee (Bennett) Ellison, cherished wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and sister, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday, January 7, 2024.  She was 90 years old.

Romona was born on November 27, 1933, in Olive, Oklahoma to John Wesley and Vergie (Mundell) Bennett.  She graduated from Olive High School alongside her eight fellow seniors in the class of 1951, and then continued her education at Draughon Business College in Tulsa.  While in business college, Romona began working at the Cimarron Ball Room with Leon McAuliffe, carrying on the musical legacy her father John began as fiddler in one of the original country music bands with nationwide acclaim, Otto Gray and the Oklahoma Cowboys.  During her fifteen year tenure at the Cimarron, she was an integral part of the busy ballroom operations.  No job was too great or small for Romona, from making popcorn to counting change to coordinating concerts with artists of the era, such as Patsy Cline.

For nearly seven decades, alongside her was the love of her life, Leslie "Les" Burns Ellison. The two met riding motorcycles in Sand Springs in 1955, and married on September 22, 1958, in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.  The newlyweds set up housekeeping in Tulsa and then in 1963, they built a homestead along Highway 51 outside of Sand Springs proper, where they raised their two daughters, Patricia and Janel.

Romona eventually began a real estate career that would span over 35 years, helping countless Sand Springs families find their dream homes. She and Les were also founding members of the Limestone National Bank.  Always busy and serving others, Romona was a centerpiece of the Sand Springs community.  In addition to being a member of the Sand Springs Church of God, over the years she volunteered with the PTA, as a member of the Sand Springs School Board, on the Sand Springs Museum Board, as a member of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and as a charitable fundraiser for the Salvation Army, the American Heart Association and the United Way.  The Sand Springs Chapter of the Pilot International Service Organization chose Romona to be their President.

In 2010, Romona was aptly named Sand Springs' "Hometown Hero" and presented the key to the city.

Romona will be remembered for her abiding faith and her deep love of family.  She leaves behind her beloved husband of 65 years, Les; two daughters, Dr. Patricia Ann Ellison and her husband James Johnson; Janel Lynna Domenico and her husband Daniel; brother, Donald Carl "George" Bennett and his wife Andrea; sister, Reba May Harvey; sister-in-law, Margie Faye McClanahan and her husband Robert; 7 grandchildren, Hannah Elizabeth Waterloo, Caleb Leslie Brown, Grace Lee Brown, Mary Rose Pendleton and her husband Joshua, Luke Ellison Brown , Ellison Rose Domenico, Michael Desmond Domenico and two great grandchildren, Elliott and Felicity Waterloo.

A visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, January 10, 2024, from 1:00 – 8:00 pm at Mobley-Groesbeck Funeral Service with the family receiving friends from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.  A Celebration of Life service will be held at Mobley-Groesbeck Funeral Service chapel on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 1:00 pm.

As she was always about the kids, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Romona's name to Sand Springs Education Foundation, P.O. Box 1541, Sand Springs, OK 74063.

For those unable to attend the funeral services, we are livestreaming it at:  https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/96544