“‘You have been my friend,’ replied Charlotte. ‘That in itself is a tremendous thing.’”

– E.B. White, from Charlotte’s Web.

It is with profound sadness that her family announces the passing from this life of Emily Diane

(Bella) Grontkowski, 49, on November 18, 2025, at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana due to complications from a stroke. She was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, granddaughter, niece, cousin, loyal friend, and a cherished, dedicated special education teacher for her entire career, spending nine years at Eastside Elementary School and fifteen years at Howard-Ellis Elementary School, both part of Niles Community Schools in Niles, Michigan. She was honored in 2025 with an Honor Credit Union Annual Teacher Award, a reflection of the creativity, respect, wisdom

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