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Ellen Dingler of Seattle and formerly of Southampton, died in Germany on May 15 while visiting friends and family. She was 63.
Born on June 29, 1944, in Germany, she was the youngest of four children. Her father died in the war the same month she was born.
Ms. Dingler was a jewelry polisher in the city of Pforzheim, known for its industry of gold and watchmaking. After her marriage to Rainer Dingler, who predeceased her in January 1990, she gave birth to her only daughter, Marina, in August 1961. Every Sunday, she would walk the eight miles to her mother’s home to leave Marina in her care while she went to work for the week in another city. On March 6, 1973, she left Germany for the United States; she was 28 years old.
Ms. Dingler worked as a live-in housekeeper in Southampton. Her employers valued her work ethic and straightforward approach to life, which earned her a nickname, “the Pearl,” along the way.
According to survivors, her family meant everything to her. It was her love of family that prompted her to sell her Southampton home and move to Seattle to be near her daughter and grandchildren. Finally, within the last year, Ms. Dingler semi-retired, although she still cared for some of her elderly friends. She thrived on being able to give and to take care of people. Survivors said she gave many things to others that she never truly experienced for herself.
She purchased an idyllic farmhouse with a view of the mountains in what she called her own slice of heaven in Sultan, Washington; the Skykomish River was a short walk from her front porch. Survivors said it didn’t take long for her to infuse her new neighborhood with love, wisdom, advice and great cooking.
In addition to her daughter, Marina and her husband Rick Stenson of Seattle, she is survived by two grandchildren, Kara and Connor; a sister, Gerlinde Mohr of Florida; and two nieces, Monica Taylor of Sag Harbor and Helen McGuire of East Hampton.
on Aug 11, 2008