Gisele Ann Shea Berzins

Gisele Ann Shea Berzins lived her life full of passion and fierce independence. She passed away on July 11, 2026 at the age of 73. Gisele was born on September 14, 1952 to Harry Shea and Gisèle (Desmares) Shea. She grew up in Stratford, New Jersey and graduated from Stratford High School in 1970.

Inspired by the television legal drama Perry Mason and its themes of advocacy for justice and decency, she pursued a career as a legal secretary working for several major law firms in Philadelphia. One of her proudest accomplishments took place when she was just 21 years old: she accompanied attorneys of the firm Blank Rome to the United States Supreme Court in D.C. to attend court proceedings for a litigation case. Throughout the rest of her life, she had a varied career as a middle school teacher, a mother, a licensed professional counselor specializing in grief and loss, and a funeral service assistant. Her choices of professions are illustrative of her strong commitment to service. She earned Master of Arts degrees in education (University of Colorado—Denver) and clinical counseling (University of Northern Colorado).

She married Maris Berzins in 1992, and together they adopted a baby girl, Sabine, in 1994. In 1997, they moved from Evergreen, Colorado, to Berthoud, where they settled down for good. In 1999, they owned and operated a used bookstore, Berzins Berthoud Books. Gisele loved the Berthoud community, and she made many friends and connections over the years.

Gisele loved the pursuit of knowledge, dancing Zumba, travel, and reading a good book. She loved being a mom, and she showed a great deal of grace and compassion while caring for her own aging mother before she passed. She was also a dedicated cat mom to kitties Boris, Igor, Mowzer, Claude, Monet, and Leo. Her vivacious and outgoing personality was a joy to her friends and acquaintances alike.

She was preceded in death by her parents and half brother Ivan Cantiant. She is survived by Maris, her husband of 34 years, daughter Sabine, and stepson Aleks Berzins.

Her family requests no flowers and private services will be held. Instead, please consider making a memorial contribution to the Longmont Humane Society.