Obituaries

Emily Charlene Viele, age 41, entered eternal life on September 4, 2023, with her family at her bedside. She is survived by her parents, Steven and Debra Viele, her sisters Elizabeth Viele and Eliina Viele-Pritzker, nieces Alice and Eleanor Pritzker, brother-in-law Joshua Pritzker, many aunts, uncles, cousins, and her dog Pepper. She is predeceased by her grandparents and several aunts.

Emily was born on April 6, 1982, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and grew up in Dimondale, Michigan. Although she was a middle child, somehow, she ended up being the boss of the family. She attended Holt High School where she played softball and was a member of the marching band. She graduated from Michigan State University with both a bachelor's and master’s in education and remained a proud Spartan all her life. Growing up she was actively involved with Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, as a member of the Luther League as a high schooler, and as a youth adviser as a young adult. She served on church boards and helped to organize women’s retreats. She was passionate about the mission of Stony Lake Lutheran Camp, where she was a camper as a child, a counselor as a young adult, and later a volunteer.

As an adult, Emily lived in Lansing, Michigan. She pivoted from education to a career at the MSU Federal Credit Union, where her affinity for rules made her a natural in the audit department. She made many wonderful friends at work, and she was dedicated to her job.
She was very close with her parents, and her battle with cancer in the last years of her life drew them even closer. Her sister Liz also provided important help and support during her treatment.

Emily was a loving, caring aunt to Alice and Eleanor. From hand-crocheting toys and Christmas stockings for them as babies to indulging a tween with the expensive water bottles her mother thought were unnecessary, Emily was generous with gifts. She was also generous with her time - teaching the girls games, helping them with schoolwork during COVID, playing with them in the water, taking them camping, and planning fun activities during their annual summer week with the grandparents and aunts. She braided their hair more beautifully than anyone else could.

Emily loved travel and the outdoors. In recent years she explored many national parks and completed a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon with her dad and other family members. She enjoyed Florida and the Disney parks, and visited often, including planning a trip for her nieces last fall. Emily spent the last week of her life at Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks, surrounded by natural beauty.

Emily was an animal lover. She was the favorite of the childhood family dog, Buffy. She doted on her dog, Nelly, who lived to be 16. She leaves behind her beloved golden doodle Pepper, who was deemed chief comfort officer during Emily's cancer treatments.

Emily was fiercely competitive and strong-willed, and the brave way she endured her final illness exemplified the way she faced life. We knew she didn’t want to leave us so soon. There is now a space in our lives that can never be filled, but we trust that in the fullness of time her memory will be a blessing.

A memorial service will take place at University Lutheran Church in East Lansing Michigan on Saturday September 16. The visitation will be at 9am, the service begins at 10am, and will be followed by a luncheon.

A private interment will take place at a later time. Her final resting place will be the Windsor Township Cemetery in Dimondale, Michigan.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Living Water Ministries (Stony Lake), or to MD Anderson Cancer Center.

To make a gift to Living Water Ministries, please visit https://elcalivingwater.kindful.com, and choose to make it in memory of Emily when prompted.

To make a gift to MD Anderson Cancer Center, please visit http://mdacc.convio.net/goto/EmilyViele

Or mail checks to: MD Anderson Cancer Center (fec23r), P.O. Box 4470, Houston, Texas 77210-4486.
Please reference Emily Viele and fec23r when mailing in check donations.