Obituary of Ella Ahlers

Ella Zechmeister Ahlers November 26, 1940 – January 28, 2019 Mrs. Ella Ahlers a long time resident of Bonney Lake, passed away peacefully at her home Monday on 116 th Ave. Ct. E. after a brief illness. Present at her time of death were her husband of nearly 60 years Willy Ahlers and their daughter Ramona Klemkow. Mrs. Ahlers was born in Goernau, Kreis Litzmannstadt, Germany which was previously Littmannstadt, Lodzkie, Poland to Heinrich and Alma (Maier) Zechmeister the youngest of 5 girls. The family endured terrible hardships during World War 2 and the family fled war torn Germany for Canada in late 1950 settling in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Mrs. Ahlers was a licensed beautician in Winnipeg. She met her husband Wilhelm Johann Heinrich (Willy) Ahlers in Winnipeg and they married on May 16, 1959. The young couple moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where their daughter Ramona was born in 1961. Pursuing a job opportunity the family moved to the Seattle area in 1963 where they settled first in Seattle on Beacon Hill and then the Puyallup/Edgewood area before building a home in Kent where they lived for nearly two decades. They moved to their home in Bonney Lake in 1999 after Willy retired from the auto repair business he founded in Des Moines, WA. in 1968. Mrs. Ahlers was preceded in death by her parents Heinrich and Alma Zechmeister, sisters Leonida (Loni) Dreger (Arthur) of Winnipeg and Wilma Lang (Joe) of Vancouver, BC. She is survived by her husband Willy Ahlers, daughter Ramona Marlene Klemkow (Lynn Jr.) of Auburn, WA. , sisters Betty Glesmann (Willi) of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Margita Wittmaier (Leon) also of Winnipeg. She is also survived by 3 grandchildren, Robert Allan Klemkow (Molly) of Buckley, WA. , Jennifer Lynn York (Adam) of Augusta, Ga. and Jonathan William Klemkow (Amanda) of Enumclaw, WA. She was also the proud great-grandmother of 7 great- grandchildren. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews and extended family in Canada and Germany. Mrs. Ahlers enjoyed the outdoors and spent many happy times at their recreational property in Ocean Shores. Mrs. Ahlers was a fabulous cook and baker, preparing for her family many delicious German specialties and mouthwatering baked goods. She worked in the health care industry in her early years in Washington at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup as well as numerous retirement homes. She was a born again Christian and was very active in her faith. She was especially proud of her family and loved her role as grandmother and great-grandmother. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her. A graveside service will be held Monday February 4 th at 1:00 PM at Mt. View Cemetery in Auburn, WA. Interment will follow at Mt. View Cemetery.