Elke Ingrid Pontrello

passed away on September 21st, 2026 at her home in Seattle, WA. She was born in June of 1943 in Germany and grew up in Salzburg, Austria, before immigrating with her parents Cordula and Wolfgang Schietke and family to Lockport, NY, at the age of 14. She married Joshua Pontrello in Buffalo, NY, on November 1st, 1975. They had two children before moving their family to Kalamazoo, MI, in 1984, where she resided until she moved to Seattle in 2024.

Elke lived life to the fullest, enjoying many activities including swimming, skydiving, skiing, scuba diving, motorcycling, photography, and traveling, but her favorite activity was being a mom. She made friends everywhere she went, from Harding’s bakery where she was a cake decorator for over 25 years, to the medical offices where she worked as a receptionist, to her children’s schools where she showed up for every event and often acted as the unofficial photographer. She attended services and activities regularly at multiple different churches, showing her dedication for serving the Lord and sharing His love and message of salvation with others.

Elke always had a smile to brighten someone’s day, and many entertaining stories to tell, and she will be greatly missed. She is survived by her son Jason (Angela) and four grandchildren (Ethan, Jacob, Lucas, and Maxwell) of Wellesley, MA, and her daughter Crystal (Dyan) of Seattle, WA. She was preceded in death by her husband Joshua, her mother Cordula, her father Wolfgang, and her brothers Torsten and Holger.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 7th at 11:00 am at Gracespring Bible Church, 8643 Gull Rd, Richland, Michigan 49083.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to For Every Orphan.

https://foreveryorphan.org/