Ilene Bratlien

Mrs. Ilene May (Page) Bratlien, 84, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, passed away Sunday afternoon, September 18, 2011, at the Mountain Towers Healthcare. Mrs. Bratlien was born May 21, 1927, in Zahl, North Dakota, a daughter of the late Martin and Alice (Holbrook) Page. Ilene was raised in Zahl and she received her teaching certificate where she worked for the Zahl Country School. She was later employed with the Buckingham Trucking Company in Harvey, North Dakota, as a bookkeeper from 1956-1967. She and her family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where she cared for her home and also worked as a bookkeeper for the corporate headquarters of the Brandeis Department Store. In 1971, she and her family moved to Sioux City, Iowa, and in 1973, they moved to Cheyenne where she and her late husband, Melvin H. Bratlien, lived the remainder of their life. Ilene's many interests included embroidery, baking, and babysitting her grandchildren and numerous other children. She will be remembered as a caretaker, having cared for her husband, following his stroke until his death on April 11, 1993, and also caring for her son, Donald Bratlien and a sister after they fell ill. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, and she will be remembered fondly by all who knew and loved her. Ilene is survived by a son, Dennis M. Bratlien and wife, Jannet Gell, of St. Cloud, FL; two daughters, Marvel J. Krix and husband, Gunther, of Cheyenne, and Jacquelynn A. Taylor and husband, Steve, of Eagan, MN; a daughter-in-law, Alicia Bratlien of Middleburg, FL; eleven grandchildren, Andrea Mae and Marin Lee Bratlien, Kimberly Harvey Bratlien, Jason Bratlien, Ryan Bratlien and wife, Jesse, Yanis Bratlien, Kimberly Gell, Tanya Krix, Alyson Amundson and husband, Tom, and Paul Krix; five great-grandchildren, Danielle, Zachary and Trista Krix, and Rico and Romeo Bratlien; two brothers, Arden Page and wife, Pat, and Ronald Page and wife, Kay; a sister, Charlotte Jongbloedt and husband, Maurice; six sisters-in-law, Viola Page, Mary Page, Alma Bratlien, Helga Smith, Sammy Lund and Josephine Bratlien; a brother-in-law, Kenneth Brown; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Visitation in Cheyenne will be private. A funeral service and interment will be held in Williston, North Dakota at a later date. Condolences may be offered to the family on-line by going to www.schraderfuneral.com. Local funeral arrangements are under the direction of Schrader Funeral Home, Cheyenne.