Ernest Michael Pongracz
OBITUARY
Ernest Michael “Ernie” Pongracz, 89, of Allentown, passed away on September 19, 2026.
Ernie was the youngest of eight children born to Charles and Anna (Nagy) Pongracz. He graduated from Allentown High School in 1955. Ernie was a proud member of UAW Local 677 and worked for Mack Trucks for 37 years before retiring in 1999.
A passionate long-distance runner, Ernie completed 14 marathons and served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Lehigh Valley Road Runners. He was also an avid reader with a particular interest in military history and World War II. Ernie was a former member of the Unami Rod and Gun Club and the Fearless Fire Company. He was also a member of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church.
Ernie met the love of his life, Bernadine Balascak, when he was 17 and she was 16. Their 69-year marriage and the loving family they built together were his proudest accomplishments.
He is survived by his wife, Bernadine; his children, John Pongracz and his wife, Gwendolyn, and Ann Pongracz; four grandchildren, Chad Pongracz, Jessica Sandacz, Jonathan Cohen, and Andrea Pongracz; and three great-grandchildren, including Jayden, Jackson, and Jocelyn Pongracz. His extended family also included 3 step-grandchildren, Benjamin, Claire and Donovan Ruth, and 4 step-great-grandchildren, Aiden Gruver, and Dillon, Caleb and Ayla Ruth. He was especially grateful for the love and friendship of his sister-in-law, Lucille Demeter, and his late brother-in-law, Joseph, and of his many nieces and nephews.
In his later years, Ernie faced congestive heart failure and interstitial lung disease with strength and resilience.
Services: A prayer service will be held at 11 AM on Thursday, September 24, 2026 in the K.V. Knopp Funeral Home, 46 E. Susquehanna Street, Allentown. A viewing for relatives and friends will be held from 10 AM until the time of the service. Interment will follow at Holy Saviour Cemetery, Bethlehem.
Contributions: Please consider a donation in memory of Ernie to your favorite charity of choice.
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