Lis passed away on February 14th, 2007 in the loving company of her family: at first thought one might think that Lis’ passing on Valentine’s Day was merely a coincidence, but those who knew her would swear she planned her transition to occur on the one day universally recognized to symbolize love and togetherness.
Lis was a fighter. Lis was a planner. But, most of all, Lis had an incredibly deep devotion for her family and friends.
At 34, Lis found herself a single mother of three young children: with two years at Purdue University, and a steller resume as a mother, Lis sat her three children down and said, “I love you, we have each other, and we will make it.” Facing incredible odds, Lis set to work.
In 1974, she secured a job a Gavilan Community College. Then, she bought a house in town to provide her children with a stable home. Most importantly, she found her soul mate, Robert C. Gifford Jr., and his daughter, Jennifer Dyan Gifford. At this point, a new, connected, family was born.
In Hollywood, this would be a fitting ending. But, this was only the beginning of our journey. Without a lot of money, Lis (and now, Bob) had to be creative. Moving forward, they not only believed, but breathed the fact that we had to live as a family unit.
In the beginning, each child was given a rotating opportunity to choose the destination for our weekend family outing. This transitioned to the family road trips in the goliath station wagon throughout the Western United States: including the obligatory cooler of RC Cola and bittersweet exercise of backing-up an RV Trailer down a dark, dead-end frontage road in Ogden Utah. Throughout the years, money was often tight. However, Mom (and Bob) always fully supported their children in all extra curricular activities.
The end! Not really. Although this would be true under normal circumstances, we are not talking about normal circumstances. Looking forward, Lis would experience many highs and lows, tackling challenge after challenge that would bring normal people to their knees.
In 1979, Lis received the call that any mother would dread: her two oldest children narrowly survived a horrific car accident with a drunk driver. Lis faced the near death of her children with a will of steel. Month after month, year after year, she walked her children through the rehabilitation process.
Lis was a Woman of conviction and action: when she saw a situation that had to be addressed, she simply could not look the other way. Nearly everyone who knew Lis, remembers her passionate “poison pen” letters to the editor. But, this could not satisfy Lis’ desire to make an impact: in the mid-1990’s, she successfully ran for the Gilroy City Council.
After sheparding her children to adulthood, Lis faced the prospect of starting a new career. After many years as a Paralegal, Lis’ boss decided to close his business. With Lis’ usual fortitude, she decided to take action and start her own business. Lis’ Legal Service was born and continues to thrive today under the management of her oldest daughter.
Later in life, Lis tackled some very difficult health problems and did so with the vigor and positive attitude that had become her trademark. First, her colon ruptured and she narrowly battled the ensuring septic shock. Then, she overcame breast cancer and a double mastectomy. Lis finally succumbed to complications related to COPD, but continued to fight until the very last minute.
Throughout this difficult time, Lis always thoroughly enjoyed the “RV runs” with Bob and the rest of her RV group: never missing a beat in her role as co-pilot.
Lis is survived by her husband of 32 years, Robert C. Gifford Jr., her four children, Daniel Walters (Davis, CA), Jennifer Pierleoni (Gilroy, CA), Matt Walters (Auburn, CA), Jennifer Mahmoudi (Oceanside, CA), and her five grandchildren, Lauryn Rossi, Taylor Pierleoni, Nicholas Pierleoni, Trenton Pierleoni, and Morgan Walters.
Lis, Mom, Ammie, we love you beyond comprehension: we are deeply sad that you are no longer with us, ecstatic that you are in a better place, and joyful that we will see each other again.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the American Heart Association at:
Donate by Mail:
American Heart Association
7272 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX 75231-4596
Donate by Phone:
1-800-AHA-USA1
Donate Online:
https://donate.americanheart.org/ecommerce/aha/aha_index.jsp (select the ‘Memorial’ Button).
Friends are invited to Lis’ memorial services at the Habing Family Funeral Home at 2:00pm on Friday, February 16th, 2007 (129 Fourth St., Gilroy, CA). Burial services will immediately follow at the Gavilan Hills Cemetery (1000 First St., Gilroy, CA). After the services, an informal reception will be held at Jennifer Pierleoni’s house (1490 Finch Ln, Gilroy, CA).
