Gisela Souza

surrounded by her family on April 29, 2025, in Sun City, Arizona. Until the end Gisela kept her kindness,

grace, compassion, appreciation of beauty, love of family, friends, and neighbors, and expressed

gratitude for her long life, full of wonderful and varied experiences.

Gisela’s life can best be described in five words: Family, God, Friends, Animals, and Hardship. In

her 85 years here with us she experienced an abundance of each.

Gisela was born in Berlin, Germany on June 25, 1939, to Ilse Anna Zank-Nikutowski and Karl Kurt

Paul Zank. She had a wonderful life in Berlin until September of 1942 when her father went to war on the

Russian Front, where he was killed in 1943. Hence, she grew up without a father.

Gisela was one of four girls. She had two older sisters and a baby a sister. Then in April 1945 her

family literally escaped Berlin on the last train out of Berlin as it was surrounded by the allies. They

escaped over the Baltic Sea to Schleswig-Holstein, Germany to a refugee camp where they spent the

next five years. Her life turned from a life of plenty to a life of poverty overnight.

Then in 1950 the family had an opportunity to move to a village in Southern Germany, Altheim Alb.

You may have heard her tell you stories about this wonderful place. This is where she and her sisters

could once again thrive. In 1955 the family moved to the town of Geislingen where she attended a

Specialty School and learned/studied Administrative OƯice Skills and then she decided to attend Nursing

School.

In 1960 the family moved to Sindelfingen. She met the love of her life Francisco Souza. They were

introduced by her older sister, Gudrun, who was a civilian working for the US Army in the same oƯice as

Francisco who was stationed with the US Military, assigned to the 7th Army Headquarters in Stuttgart,

Germany. Gisela and Francisco fell in love, got married on February 8,1964 and the rest is history – 61

years of marital bliss! In the Fall of 1964, Gisela followed Francisco to San Francisco, California. This also

gave her the opportunity to meet up with her baby sister (Burgashen as she was called) in Sacramento,

California. Gisela lived in San Francisco from 1964 to the middle to late 1970’s. Then she moved to

Fremont, California until her retirement from Kaiser in Oakland, California. While living in Fremont Gisela

was able to visit her sister Burga who lived nearby.

During Gisela’s time in Fremont, she was able to travel with Francisco to many parts of the world, as

he represented Team USA for the World Championships. They travelled to Great Britain, Australia, New

Zealand, South Africa, and Hong Kong. Gisela also returned to Germany many times to visit with her

mother and oldest sister Dorothea. Gisela really enjoyed her many shopping trips on these wonderful

opportunities of travel. Once Gisela and Francisco retired, they moved to Sun City, Arizona. Francisco

was her rock.

Gisela loved to spoil her nieces and nephews with love, be it a birthday card, Christmas card, her

baked goods and especially the rumballs or a phone call just to check in, at every opportunity possible.

Hence, the love they all have for her today and always.

Gisela also loved animals both domestically and wild. She had four dogs, a cockateel (Laura), and

the wild bunnies she would feed in her backyard who she pampered to no end. Ingo was her Collie (we

called him her Lassie dog), then she had three shiatzus. They were Niko, Nikita, and Niko II.

Gisela loved to tease, joke, prank, dance, and just have fun. She loved to bake cookies, make

rumball torta, do needlepointing, sew and make her own clothes.

Gisela is survived by her husband Francisco Ricardo Souza of Sun City, AZ, sister Gudrun Zank of

Hastings, MN, sister Burga Santiago of Auburn, CA, nieces Susan (and Douglas) Taylor of Auburn, CA, and

Stephanie (and Michael) Mitzenmacher of Lexington, MA, nephews John Collins of Cupertino, CA,

Andrew(and Deede) Collins of Coeur d’Alene, ID, Brian (and Eva) Zank of Little Elm, TX, seven greatnieces, Danielle Mendoza of Coeur d’Alene, ID, Anna Hurtubise of Grass Valley, CA, Amelia Wall of

Concord, CA, Christina Zank of Little Elm, TX , Michaela, Jacqueline, and Chloe “Sunny” Mitzenmacher

of Lexington, MA, two great-nephews, Alexander and Zachary Collins of San Jose, CA, great great-niece,

Ilse Anna Hurtubise of Grass Valley, CA, and five great-great nephews, Cody Collins, Isaac, Jeremiah, and

Elijah Mendoza of Coeur d’Alene, ID and William Hurtubise of Grass Valley, CA. She was preceded in

death by her mother, Ilse Anna Zank-Nikutowski, father, Karl Kurt Paul Zank, sister, Dorothea Ilse Zank,

niece, Jacqueline Barbara Collins and nephew, Graham Bruce Zank.

Gisela was loved by all and will be greatly missed.