\t\t\tErnest Michael Pongracz \t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tOBITUARY\t\t<\/p>\n
Ernest Michael \u201cErnie\u201d Pongracz, 89, of Allentown, passed away on September 19, 2026.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Roman Catholic Church.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In his later years, Ernie faced congestive heart failure and interstitial lung disease with strength and resilience.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Contributions: Please consider a donation in memory of Ernie to your favorite charity of choice.<\/p>\n
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