Alisa Anne Strautmanis

Alisa Anne StrautmanisOn Friday, September 14, 2012, Alisa crossed the rainbow bridge into eternal bliss at her farm in Germantown, Wisconsin. With the first rays of light on a crisp autumn morning, her struggle with cancer came to a peaceful end with her husband at her side. She was 43 years old.Born in Milwaukee on May 18, 1969, Alisa spent her childhood in Rockford, IL, and Mequon, WI. In her first semester at art school at UWM, she met her husband Sig in a psychology class. They went on their first date in April 1988 and eloped in May the same year. They have been together ever since.Alisa studied sculpture at UWM and went on to expand her creative passion with photography and physical acting. She was finishing her first Kung Fu screen play at the time of her death. She was an accomplished martial artist and joked to her husband that she could still take him down even as she grew more ill. Alisa was known for her ironic sense of humor, often catching people off guard with her ability to bring levity to any situation. Alisa thrived in the energy of urbanity, but felt most at home in nature. She enjoyed ornithology and knew every bird that came to her feeder. She held a strong sense of empathy for all living beings and lived most of her adult life as a vegetarian. Her greatest joy came in raising her two beautiful children, Uve and Anna, and being a friend and guardian to Helena, her niece. She was a powerful woman and instilled a strong sense of self esteem in her children. She believed in the power of motherhood and reinforced the need for women to be the instruments of change in society. She lived passionately and was a role model to many.She is survived by her husband, Sig; children, Uve and Anna; father and mother, Robert and Anne Anderson; grandmother, Nina Finn; sister, Kristine (Christian) Ward and their children, Hannah and Chase; father-in-law, Imants; sister-in-law, Rasma (Robert) Barbee and their children, Henry and Max; brother-in-law, Maris (Thomasina Ringler) Strautmanis and their son, Lauris; Ainars (Iveta) Marnauzs and their children, Helena, Sven, Martins and Markus; loving aunts, uncles and cousins; special friend (Sig’s cousin), Ivars; and many special girlfriends throughout the universe. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made in Alisa’s name to Tamarack Waldorf School, 1150 East Brady Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202. A Celebration of Life beginning at 2:00 p.m. will be held at the Strautmanis Farm on Saturday, September 22. A private Christian burial will be held on Sunday, September 23, at Rienzi Cemetery in Fond du Lac. Alisa will live on in our hearts forever.

Alisa Anne Strautmanis

May 18, 1969 - September 14, 2012