Heislein

Roseburg

September 19, 1937 — December 9, 2020

Leila Heislein, of Roseburg, Oregon, passed away December 9, 2020, after a long, courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer. She was born September 19, 1937, in Pendleton, Oregon, the only child of Luella and Wilbur Beard.

After graduating from Pendleton High School in 1955, she continued her studies at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, and graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1959 with a degree in economics and business administration.

Leila married Harry P. Heislein Jr. in Pendleton, Oregon, on September 7, 1957, whom she met on a blind date while he worked for the U.S. Forest Service Umatilla National Forest. After graduating from college, they moved to Portland, Oregon, where Harry worked in the U.S. Forest Service Regional Office. In 1963, they moved to Roseburg, when Harry was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service Umpqua National Forest office.

Leila and Harry had two daughters, and Leila was very involved in their activities, sharing her knowledge and talents as an artist, crafter, seamstress, knitter and baker as a 4-H leader, and assisting at numerous swim meets and tennis matches.

In 1979, Leila joined The News-Review as the librarian, continuing until 1995. In this position, she wore many hats. She would talk to students about the newspaper during field trips, obtain the stock market reports, and help with special events like the spelling bee, along with duties associated with a librarian’s job, pre-internet.

She volunteered at Mercy Medical Center for over 45 years as a buyer for the auxiliary gift shop. This combined her two favorite things: traveling and shopping. She also volunteered on the Roseburg Parks and Recreation Commission for 28 years. During that time, she adopted Brown Park, next to Fire Station #2 on Harvard Avenue, planting flowers each summer for park users to enjoy. She also helped fund the Fir Grove Park splashpad, so kids would have a safe place to play in the water on warm days.

In addition to volunteering, Leila’s passions included traveling, gardening, playing bridge, and shopping. She could often be seen working in her yard at her house or tending to her small plot she claimed during her short time at Linus Oakes. She enjoyed playing and hosting bridge twice a month with the same bridge groups for over 50 years.

She was most proud of the 68 countries she visited around the world. She traveled to all 50 states, all the Canadian providences, and all seven continents, Antarctica being the last, in celebration of her 80th birthday.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Wilbur and Luella, and Harry, her husband of 58 years. She is survived by her daughters Lynn Heislein of Reno, Nevada, and Anne Heislein of Vancouver, Washington, and granddaughter Sydney Nakagawa of Vancouver, Washington; and brother-in-law Tom (Jinny) Heislein of Salem, New Hampshire, together with two nieces and two nephews.

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date due to the current restrictions in place.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Community Cancer Foundation (cccroseburg.org), Mercy Foundation (mercygiving.org), Umpqua Valley Art Association (uvarts.com), or to the Beard/Brouillard Scholarship at Blue Mountain Community College (bluecc.edu) in Pendleton, which she established in honor of her mother and her mother’s former caregiver, for nursing students at the school.