Nunzio "Nelson" Pontillo

1945 - 2025

Nunzio "Nelson" Pontillo, 80, of Lake Frederick, VA died peacefully with his children, grandchildren and friends surrounding him on September 19, 2025 in Winchester, VA.

Son of Anthony and Josephine Pontillo, he was born February 8, 1945 in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from West Babylon High School in 1962. He married Mary Ann Riesterer in May of 1965.

He carried on the family trade as a residential electrician and then went on to be an electrician for Grumman and contributed as part of the Lunar Space Module team in 1971. He turned his love for cooking to a new career in the mid-70's when he opened Nelson and Carl's Delicatessen in West Babylon, NY where his family and friends made memories in the kitchen. In 1979 he and his family moved to Virginia Beach where he worked in restaurant food sales for Halco Wilkins. His career took another turn and he began working in government defense contracting for ST Research, Syscon, American Systems and consulting over the next two decades.

Nelson married Nancy "Kim" Houghton in 1992, they lived in Reston and then Herndon, Virginia until 2022 before settling in Lake Frederick, VA. Nelson and Kim were frequent travelers, mostly with her family, especially to Italy. He was so proud of his Italian heritage and was thrilled to have met some of his cousins in Scilla, where his mom was born. He loved going on walks with his furry companion, Roxie. He was an avid gardener and never ceased to amaze family and friends with his ingenuity in fixing anything and tinkering with household projects. He loved cooking and having his house full of his kids and grandkids. Annual fishing trips with his buddies to Mexico were relished. He enjoyed, in retirement, a new hobby of stained glass art. He started "Little Bridge Stained Glass" and was so happy to create beautiful works of art for family and friends while also participating in craft shows in Lake Frederick.

He is survived by his former wife, Mary Ann Kirkpatrick, with whom he raised three daughters, JoAnne Weaver (Tex), Lynn Pontillo, and Mary Pontillo (Christian) all of Charlottesville, VA. Grandchildren, Christos Anastasopoulos (Andrew) of Kingston, NY, Caitlyn Tetterton of Anchorage, AK, Kacie Tetterton of Richmond, VA, Abby McKellips (Ian) & Emma Weaver (Connor) of Christiansburg, VA & Julia Galdencio of Charlottesville, VA.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Kim, parents, Anthony & Josephine Pontillo, brother, Michael Gilles and infant daughter, Kristen Pontillo.

There will be a celebration of life on November 22nd in Charlottesville, VA. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of these non-profits in memory of Nelson. The Nature Conservancy, UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center: T-cell Lymphoma Research 22700 (https://tinyurl.com/4x5edd6h), or Rivanna Area Queer Center.