Elide Povinelli

Elide (Ellie) Povinelli, 83, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 13, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona after a long journey with Alzheimer's disease. She was born in a small town in the Italian Alps (Carisolo) and as a teenager moved to Ontario, Canada with her family. She met her husband John Povinelli through this large Italian family, they married and moved to Buffalo, New York, where they raised their family of five children. Elide proudly became an American citizen in 1972. Not long after the Buffalo Blizzard of '77, the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona to expand the family cutlery business.
Elide worked for the Paradise Valley school district for many years and was an active and faithful member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Elide sang in the church choir for many years and co-founded the St. Joseph's Church Mice, a volunteer group which cleaned the church weekly. Elide also volunteered with St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store and the Christ Child Society. Elide was friendly and social and could often be found cooking Italian food for family and friends, walking in her neighborhood or mountain preserve, or out on the lookout for a great sale.
Elide's family was the most important part of her life, and she will be missed greatly. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, John, her children John (Janet) Povinelli, Linda Povinelli, Mary (Dave) White, Janet (Bill) Richards and Dina Anutta, her twelve grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents Antonio and Esther and her brother Emilio (Lucy). She is survived by her sister Dina (Mario), and her brothers George (Marisa), Gus (Josephine) and Tarcisio (Deborah).
A funeral will be held on Monday, October 23, 2023, at 11:00 a.m., at St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 11001 N. 40th Street, Phoenix, with a reception following. A viewing will be held at Sunday, October 22, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary, 6500 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale. Instead of giving flowers, donations can be made to the Christ Child Society of Phoenix.