Elisabeth Heisler

1933 - 2022

Elisabeth Heisler
June 12, 1933 - May 29, 2022
Elisabeth Janet Pischel Heisler ("Beth") died on May 29, 2022, in San Francisco due to complications following a hip fracture. Beth's son, Karl; daughter, Karen; and granddaughter, Jesse, were with her in her final moments.
Elisabeth was born June 12, 1933, in San Francisco, daughter of Margery Lovegrove and Dr. Dohrmann Kaspar Pischel, the youngest of their three children. She was predeceased by her sister, Jerry (née Eleanor) Pischel McAndrew, and her brother, Dohrmann K. ("Dick") Pischel Jr.
Beth attended the Grant School, Katherine Delmar Burke School, the Bishop School, University of California at Berkeley and Stanford Nursing School. She was a strong student and athlete, serving as Student Body President in her senior year and captain of her field hockey team. She was an excellent skier, both on snow and water. At Stanford, she met her first husband, Dr. Ivan C.F. Heisler. Beth and Ivan raised their two children in a home that inspired and encouraged creativity, stewardship and intellect. In addition to being primary caregiver, Beth was also active in support of her children's schools, serving—among many other tasks—as a volunteer at the Town School Clothes Closet and in the libraries of the French American Bilingual School (now French American International School) and at the Urban School of San Francisco, the last of which inspired her to pursue a degree in library science.
After she was unexpectedly widowed at 43, Elisabeth strove to better understand her familial story in the context of the larger world. Her interest in other people's stories and her non-judgmental generosity drew her children's friends close: she modeled a possibility of reinvention and renewal that inspired many a teenager—and adults, as well.
After her kids were launched, she took her explorations on the road, trekking in India and Pakistan, biking across the state of Iowa (RAGBRAI!) and sailing the California coast with her second husband Felix Knauth. She ultimately found her true comfort in solo travel, discovering her roots in Europe and building a kinship network with new friends and distant cousins on that continent, relationships that she nourished through correspondence and visits well into her 80s. In particular, she returned numerous times to Austria, home of the Pischel (once Pischl) clan, visited Dohrmanns in Germany, sustained the connection with Swiss relatives of Ivan's, and cultured new friendships in Italy and in Finland.
A touchstone throughout Elisabeth's entire lifetime was Fallen Leaf Lake, where she spent many happy days as both a child and an adult, and where she also found solace hiking in Desolation Valley. Fallen Leaf (and its resolute guardian, Mt. Tallac) was in her heart until the end.
Elisabeth was an engaged grandmother of her beloved granddaughter, Jesse, and a mother who believed steadfastly in her son and daughter and their abilities to do whatever they set out to do. She was a champion of her little clan and was humble about her unflagging support and love. Similarly, she sustained and cultivated friendships and acquaintanceships with generosity and some self-effacement, endlessly curious about others' perspectives and lives. Throughout her life, younger people, in particular, found her loving, magnetic and inspiring.
Elisabeth was an avid reader—she even learned to navigate E-books on her IPad. She also loved poetry—both reading it and penning it—and enjoyed a variety of crafts, including weaving (sometimes with wool she had spun herself); pressing flowers; and bookbinding.
Elisabeth exhibited curiosity in other ways, as well, including, in later years, taking a number of courses through the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning at the University of San Francisco. She maintained an abiding love for classical music, taking the 49-Mission bus up Mission Street and Van Ness Avenue to Davies Hall to hear the San Francisco Symphony well into her 80s.
Elisabeth is survived by her son Karl Francis Heisler (Michele), her daughter Karen Elizabeth Heisler (Krystin Rubin) and her granddaughter, Jesse Alice Brown. The family is planning a memorial gathering for a later date.
Beth is also survived by dozens of cousins in both the extended Pischel and Dohrmann families, including first cousin Barbara Barbour; nephews Peter McAndrew (Annie), Alec McAndrew (Carola), and Kirk Pischel; and niece Lisa Pischel Formaini (Bob).
The family thanks the staff at Rhoda Goldman Plaza for helping look after Beth for the past three years, and thanks the nurses, doctors, and other staff at the Jewish Home and Rehab Center for their extraordinary care and kindness extended to Beth and her family in her last two weeks.
Elisabeth was, to the end, interested in the world around her and troubled by injustice and oppression. If you want to honor her memory with a contribution, you could do so by supporting organizations providing humanitarian support to Ukrainians through Razomforukraine.org or a like organization (https://snyder.substack.com/p/helping-ukrainians-survive-the-easter?utm_source=%2Fprofile%2F30618158-timothy-snyder&utm_medium=reader2&s=r); or by giving to an abortion fund in one of the many States where support is needed (https://abortionfunds.org/funds/); or by a gift to Circus Bella, which lifted Elisabeth's heart (https://www.circusbella.org/).