CHESTERFIELD, Va. - Elka Renee Cremer Vital died Thursday, June 21, 2012, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 43. Born July 7, 1968, in Dover, she graduated from Caesar Rodney High School and was a proud member of the "CR Riders". She received a Bachelor's degree in Linquistics from the University of West Virginia and was a member of the "Pride of West Virginia" Mountaineers Marching Band, performing in the Independence Bowl on Christmas day, 1987, in El Paso, Texas. She studied at the University of Marburg in Germany and earned a Master's of Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Elka taught German for nineteen years at Matoaca and L.C. Bird High School, impacting the lives of hundreds of students by organizing and leading exchange programs through the German American Partnership Program. Elka was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Petersburg, Va. She loved to travel, and especially enjoyed beach vacations with her family. Elka was the beloved wife of David Vital; loving mother of Ariel Vital, Sebastian Vincent and Benjamin Vital. She is also survived by her mother, Constance Cremer of Dover; her brother, James Atchison and sister, Michelle Atchison and the family of her late father, Hans Herman Cremer, in Germany. Friends and family were invited to attend the Requiem Mass for Elka on Monday, June 25, 2012, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 151 W. Washington St., Petersburg, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to St Joseph School in Petersburg, VA.