Eline ("Ellie") Nieuwenhuis Kniffin, 77, passed away at home in Seattle on August 25, 2024, surrounded by loving family after years of suffering from lung ailments caused by cancer treatments decades ago.

Ellie was born in Lisse, the Netherlands, on April 12, 1947, the youngest of three children born to George and Hilly Nieuwenhuis. Her family immigrated to the U.S. in November 1947 when her father sought to expand the family tulip bulb business.

Ellie grew up in Mt. Airy, North Carolina in a loving Christian home. She went to Mt. Airy High School, attended Wake Forest University and graduated in 1969 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, Ellie worked for IBM for six years as a Systems Engineer before starting a family.

Ellie married Ogden (Clip) Kniffin on October 28, 1972, and together they raised three sons in Wheaton, Illinois, where they lived for 37 years. Ellie knew that, by pouring herself into her children, family and community, she was building something greater than herself and leaving a legacy of love and sacrifice that would last into eternity. Ellie and Clip were active members of Community Fellowship Church in Wheaton where Ellie served as a deacon. She taught ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and gave knitting instruction for many years. She started a wallpaper business when the boys were young and used her creative, entrepreneurial and frugal talents in all that she did.

During the years in Wheaton, Ellie hosted countless groups in their home and organized many road trips to visit family and national parks. These trips, along with ski trips to Colorado, tightened the family's bonds.

Ellie's Christian faith was a central aspect of her life from childhood. She attended a Christian weekend called Cursillo in the late 1970s that strengthened her faith for God and his purposes. She was actively involved in Bible Study Fellowship for more than 40 years. Her greatest joy was always to be with her children and being "Oma" to her grandchildren wherever they lived.

Ellie and her husband moved to Seattle in 2016 to be closer to two of their sons and their grandchildren. There Ellie was an active member of Epiphany Parish.

Ellie is survived by her husband, Clip, and her three sons and their families: Eric and Bonnie Kniffin in Colorado Springs, CO; Tim and Cynthia Kniffin in Seattle; and Andrew and Colleen Kniffin, also in Seattle. Ellie had 14 grandchildren of whom 13 survived her. Eric and Bonnie's children are Catherine, Mary, Thomas, Eizabeth, Michael (d.2021), John, Anne and Clare. Tim and Cynthia's children are Abigail and Evelyn, and Andrew and Colleen's children are Ellie, Elliott, Grace and Lucy. Ellie is also survived by her sister Elisabeth in Winchester, MA and by her brother George in Kernersville, NC.

A funeral service will be held at the Epiphany Parish in Seattle on Saturday, October 26, at 4:00 PM. A memorial service for Ellie will be held at Community Fellowship Church in Wheaton, Illinois on November 2nd.

ln lieu of flowers, Ellie's family asks that contributions be made to World Relief (Western Washington or Chicagoland, IL) and to Bible Study Fellowship. World Relief is a worldwide relief agency that assists in the resettlement of refugees. Bible Study Fellowship guides its thousands of men and women worldwide in the study of Scripture.