Ilsa Lea Burmeister, 56

Ilsa, the youngest in the blended family of Wallace and Charlotte Oberg, was born Aug. 19, 1967, in Gresham, Ore.

She is survived by her mother, siblings Lyn, Charles, Bob and Vicki Oberg, Bert Caldwell, Tracy Wiekel, Tony Sheckler, Frankie Hatton, Glenna Redelk and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.  

Our family moved in 1969 to a 148-acre homestead on the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. The youngest of us attended the one-room schoolhouse in Murray, Idaho for the first three grades.

Ilsa had a wonderful laugh. The best times it led to laughing so hard you ran out of breath, causing her to snort, leading to another round of laughs until tears streamed down the side of your face. Growing up, her favorite and most protective pet was Pepper, a spaniel poodle mix. One Christmas, Pepper tried to save her from her new pair of super fluffy blue slippers.  

Ilsa graduated from Wallace High School in 1985 and was a student at NIC in Coeur d'Alene. Ilsa met her future husband, Christopher Burmeister, at the Enaville Resort. They were married in 1987 and had two children, Douglas and Samantha (grandbaby Abbi). 

Ilsa was diagnosed with glioblastoma this July and was embraced by the light Dec. 2, when she was 56.

Without Ilsa, the world is a much smaller place. 

Memories of Ilsa and messages of condolence may be shared with her family online at www.shoshonefuneralservice.com. Shoshone Funeral Services, Kellogg, is assisting with arrangements.