Alvila Iellene Burkett

Obituary Notice
Alvila Iellene Brase Burkett of Bend, age 88, died at home Nov. 25, 2024, of cancer. Born a leap year baby, Feb. 29, 1936, she officially celebrated 22 birthdays.
A native of Wyoming, she lived in Pavilion, Riverton, Ocean Lake, WY, and briefly in Los Angeles during World War II. She graduated from Riverton High School in 1954, then pursued study at the University of Colorado. By 1958 she achieved a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a Public Health Certificate. On June 22, 1958, she married Patrick Robert Burkett. She worked for Denver's visiting nurse service while he completed medical school and began his career with the U.S. Navy. Pat and Alvila's growing family accompanied him to duty stations in Oakland, CA, Pensacola, FL, Kodiak, AK, and Fallon, NV.
From the 1970s onward, Alvila resumed her nursing career, working night duty at hospitals in Oakland and San Leandro, CA. When Pat retired from the Navy and opened a private medical practice in Lebanon, OR, Alvila worked the next 18 years at the Mennonite's Lebanon Community Hospital. In 2009, with their four children grown and gone, the couple moved to Bend. Alvila was diagnosed with breast cancer the same year. Initial treatment afforded her another ten active years before recurrence.
Alvila's faith in God was the most important aspect of her life. A Lutheran since childhood, she modeled the importance of cultivating a deep spiritual life and of prioritizing service to others. Always thirsty for knowledge herself, she advocated higher education for her children and worked to make that possible.
A lifelong outdoorswoman, she skied, backpacked, day-hiked, fished, sailed ready, always, for a new adventure. She and Pat instilled their passion for outdoor sports, wild places, birds, animals, in their son and daughters. Quietly confident, she square-danced, sewed, sketched and painted, cooked from scratch, transformed every house she tended into a welcoming and nurturing home. Her sense of order was legendary (any hand-me-down of hers was like brand-new), as was her conviction that any calorie snitched while preparing a meal didn't count. She was sheepish about her own spelling mistakes, and graciously bore the burden of her unusual, frequently mispronounced, name.
Alvila is survived by the love of her life, husband Patrick; daughters Carey Burkett (and husband Stephen Kraemer) of Fredonia TX, Linda Baker of Ellensburg WA; son Robert Burkett (and wife Tonya) of Bend; sister Beverly (B.J.) O'Dell of Bend; granddaughters Aislinn Baker, Hannah Baker, Audrey Baker, Marina Burkett; grandson August Kraemer; great-granddaughters Dani and Jamie Woodiwiss. Alvila was preceded in death by her parents, Harold Dietrich Brase and Thelma Iellene Goodell Brase. Her youngest daughter, Brenda Schweitzer (husband Steve, Osborne KS) died in 2023.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, Bend, on Saturday Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. and available on-line. Contributions may be made to: Trinity Lutheran School Endowment Fund, 2250 NE Butler Market Rd., Bend OR 97702. Arrangements handled by Autumn Funerals-Bend. Please visit www.autumnfunerals.com to sign the online guestbook.